Nepalese doctor exchanges innovative approaches to conducting virtual communities of practice with peers from all over the globe. USAID support allows health care practitioners to share best practices on reproductive health and family planning.

 

Rural Nepal has little electricity, poor access via roads, and high rates of maternal and child mortality. Shishir Dahal, a medical doctor in Rolpa District, Nepal, shared his experience using online communities of practice (CoPs) for reproductive health and family planning with the Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Communication Programs. 

 

In collaboration with USAID, WHO/Department of Reproductive Health (RHR), and the Implementing Best Practices (IBP) in Reproductive Health Initiative, K4Health convened a two week online discussion on innovative approaches to engaging and nurturing participation in CoPs for global health. A CoP consists of a group of individuals with a similar interest or purpose who share experiences and knowledge.

 

During the forum, Dr. Dahal expressed enthusiasm for exploring mobile platforms to enhance participation in CoPs, especially in low-resource settings such as rural Nepal where people are more likely to have access to a mobile phone than to the Internet. Rolpa District is located in a hilly region about 170 miles west of the nation’s capital of Kathmandu. According to Dr. Dahal, a survey conducted by the District Hospital revealed at least 80% of households had one mobile telephone. Two companies, Nepal Telecom and Hello Nepal, are competing with each other for subscribers. Dr. Dahal himself uses SMS texting to identify and follow high-risk pregnancies in the district. 

 

As a first-time and daily contributor to the forum, Dr. Dahal also discussed the benefits of participating in a CoP. “In many cultures, including mine, views contradicting with authorities are not well received,” he said. “E-forums and CoPs are different. There are no hierarchies. I can express without shame, fear, and guilt. I participate because I am heard.” Dr. Dahal also called for CoPs to present papers and share experiences and views developed collectively by members in conferences and events. In his opinion, such a step would serve to cement the identity of a CoP and increase its impact.

 

For Dr. Dahal, online discussions are useful to generate information among health professionals.   Through taking part in another CoP made up of alumni from the Short Course on Antiretroviral Treatment (SCART) organized by Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Dr. Dahal learned about the concept of telemedicine, which he shared with his community. Dr. Dahal pointed out the importance of ensuring more participants from resource poor countries participate in CoPs. 

 

“[CoPs] help me create innovative ideas to help people,” he said. “My motivation to participate in this CoP is to get rid of professional isolation that we get working in rural areas.” 

 

IBP Knowledge Gateway for Reproductive Health is a virtual knowledge network of over 15,000 people from 195 countries. Since 2005, IBP has conducted more than 15 online discussion forums. As a result of support from USAID and partners, health practitioners in places like Rolpa District, Nepal are able to learn from each other and share best practices in reproductive health and family planning through communities of practice.

 

Kavitha Nallathambi is a Communication Specialist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs (CCP) and works on the Knowledge for Health Project, which is funded by USAID and implemented by CCP, Management Sciences for Health and FHI.