AIM: Social media platforms are commonly used for the expression of suicidal thoughts and feelings, particularly by young people. Despite this, little is known about the ways in which social media can be used for suicide prevention. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to identify current evidence pertaining to the ways in which social media are currently used as a tool for suicide prevention. METHODS: Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, CINHAL and the Cochrane Library were searched for articles published between 1991 and April 2014. English language articles with a focus on suicide-related behaviour and social media were included. No exclusion was placed on study design. RESULTS: Thirty studies were included; 4 described the development of social media sites designed for suicide prevention, 6 examined the potential of social media in terms of its ability to reach or identify people at risk of suicide, 15 examined the ways in which people used social media for suicide prevention-related purposes, and 5 examined the experiences of people who had used social media sites for suicide prevention purposes. No intervention studies were identified. CONCLUSION: Social media platforms can reach large numbers of otherwise hard-to-engage individuals, may allow others to intervene following an expression of suicidal ideation online, and provide an anonymous, accessible and non-judgmental forum for sharing experiences. Challenges include difficulties controlling user behaviour and accurately assessing risk, issues relating to privacy and confidentiality and the possibility of contagion. Social media appears to hold significant potential for suicide prevention; however, additional research into its safety and efficacy is required. Language: en

https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/59201/Social media and suicide prevention_Manuscript_REVISED_CLEAN.pdf

Social media and suicide prevention: a systematic review.

Good General Practice is essential for an effective health system. Good General Practice training is essential to sustain the workforce, however training for General Practice can be hampered by a number of pressures, including professional, structural and social isolation. General Practice trainees may be under more pressure than fully registered General Practitioners, and yet isolation can lead doctors to reduce hours and move away from rural practice. Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) in business have been shown to be effective in improving knowledge sharing, thus reducing professional and structural isolation. This literature review will critically examine the current evidence relevant to virtual communities of practice in General Practice training, identify evidence-based principles that might guide their construction and suggest further avenues for research. Major online databases Scopus, Psychlit and Pubmed were searched for the terms “Community of Practice” (CoP) AND (Online OR Virtual OR Electronic) AND (health OR healthcare OR medicine OR “Allied Health”). Only peer-reviewed journal articles in English were selected. A total of 76 articles were identified, with 23 meeting the inclusion criteria. There were no studies on CoP or VCoP in General Practice training. The review was structured using a framework of six themes for establishing communities of practice, derived from a key study from the business literature. This framework has been used to analyse the literature to determine whether similar themes are present in the health literature and to identify evidence in support of virtual communities of practice for General Practice training. The framework developed by Probst is mirrored in the health literature, albeit with some variations. In particular the roles of facilitator or moderator and leader whilst overlapping, are different. VCoPs are usually collaborations between stakeholders rather than single company VCoPs. Specific goals are important, but in specialised health fields sometimes less important than in business. Boundary spanning can involve the interactions of different professional groups, as well as using external experts seen in business VCoPs. There was less use of measurement in health VCoPs. Environments must be supportive as well as risk free. Additional findings were that ease of use of technology is paramount and it is desirable for VCoPs to blend online and face-to-face involvement. The business themes of leadership, sponsorship, objectives and goals, boundary spanning, risk-free environment and measurements become, in the health literature, facilitation, champion and support, objectives and goals, a broad church, supportive environment, measurement benchmarking and feedback, and technology and community. General Practice training is under pressure from isolation and virtual communities of practice may be a way of overcoming isolation. The health literature supports, with some variation, the business CoP framework developed by Probst. Further research is needed to clarify whether this framework is an effective method of health VCoP development and if these VCoPs overcome isolation and thus improve rural retention of General Practice registrars.

/pdf/general-practice-training-and-virtual-communities-of-hldaflndbu.pdf

General Practice training and virtual communities of practice - A review of the literature

Background
Health interventions and practices often lag behind the available research, and the need for timely translation of new health knowledge into practice is becoming increasingly important.

Objective
The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic search and review of the literature on online knowledge translation techniques that foster the interaction between various stakeholders and assist in the sharing of ideas and knowledge within the health field.

Methods
The search strategy included all published literature in the English language since January 2003 and used the medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (cinahl), embase and Inspec databases.

Results
The results of the review indicate that online strategies are diverse, yet all are applicable in facilitating online health-related knowledge translation. The method of knowledge sharing ranged from use of wikis, discussion forums, blogs, and social media to data/knowledge management tools, virtual communities of practice and conferencing technology – all of which can encourage online health communication and knowledge translation.

Conclusions
Online technologies are a key facilitator of health-related knowledge translation. This review of online strategies to facilitate health-related knowledge translation can inform the development and improvement of future strategies to expedite the translation of research to practice.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/hir.12048

Online strategies to facilitate health-related knowledge transfer: a systematic search and review.

The Internet is an oft-cited learning resource, useful to consumers who seek to educate themselves on specific technical issues or knowledge-intensive topics. Availability of public-access Internet portals and decreasing costs of personal computers have created a consensus that unequal access to information, or a “Digital Divide”, presents a like problem specific to information for uninsured or under-insured healthcare consumers. Access to information, however, is now an essential part of consumer-centric healthcare management. To date little research has been done to differentiate levels of health information access on the Web by different subgroups, linking online socioeconomic characteristics and health seeking behaviors. This analysis of a landmark Pew Foundation survey seeks to differentiate and delineate information access, or lack of desired access, across targeted, “digitally underserved” subgroups.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1460458207086332

Group disparities and health information: a study of online access for the underserved.

Professional isolation has hampered the quality of the work experience for employees in and outside public education for decades. This study explores the role that perceived isolation plays in predicting the quality of the work experience among new principals. The analysis tests whether isolation serves as a mediator in the relationship between factors that are known to affect the quality of work life of principals (social support; role stress; and participation in a structured coaching relationship) and three dimensions of burnout. Regression analysis supports the framework that places isolation as a mediator in predicting physical and emotional burnout, but does not support this role for cognitive burnout.

/pdf/the-role-of-isolation-in-predicting-new-principals-burnout-4qtgfbqncy.pdf

The Role of Isolation in Predicting New Principals’ Burnout

Communication and information technologies can reduce the barriers of distance and space that disadvantage communities in Australia's underserved rural areas, where the health status of residents is often worse than that of their urban counterparts. ACROSSnet (Australians Creating Rural Online Support Systems) is a 3 year collaborative action research project that aims to design and develop an online support system that will assist rural communities in accessing information, education and support regarding suicide and its prevention, whilst considering the challenges of Internet speed, cost and availability that can impede the delivery of online services. The site provides three distinct levels of access: one level for community members, and two further levels for appropriately credentialled mental health workers. In creating this environment, the ACROSSnet team hopes that online communities of practice will develop, engaging participants of different ages, income and education levels, location, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Development of ACROSSnet: an online support system for rural and remote community suicide prevention workers in Queensland, Australia:

Rural and remote communities experience significant hardship in terms of the ready availability of high level emergency health care, access to resources, supportive technology, and high staff turnover, resulting in gaps in both initial service provision and ongoing support. In this context, local people with health knowledge or caring skills can play an important bridging role. Non-clinical health workers, allied and community health, social workers, and other community members may work to fill the provision gaps, providing information and support to community members, in many cases over and above their paid responsibilities. These people can be defined as health intermediaries; they act as mediators between the health system (or lack thereof) and the individual needs of community members, providing information and support in ways that best suit the individual and his or her specific context.

Gendered Identities and Caring: Health Intermediaries and Technology in Rural and Remote Queensland

A Capacity Building Approach to Health Literacy through ICTs

There are estimated to be approximately 85,000 Australian Sons and Daughters of Australian Vietnam Veterans,1 a group recognized as having a substantially higher rate of suicide than the general Australian population. 2The Sons and Daughters of Vietnam Veterans of Australia (SDVVA) Web site was developed to harness the computer literacy of this age group by featuring an online support group that enables discussions, access to information and resources about Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, and provides the ability of Sons and Daughters to share experiences with each other. The conceptualization and early development of the Web site was well received by the SDVVA during state-based focus groups, particularly given the complete lack of targeted Web-based information and online support groups. This project is an example of participatory action research (PAR) methodology that was successful in developing the early stages of a community of practice (CoP). This paper discusses how online technologies can be implemented to build a sense of community, trust, and shared values in individuals at higher risk of suicide. It also describes why PAR was chosen as a methodology to meet the challenges and needs of this particular project.

Susan Leggett

Papers

Development of ACROSSnet: an online support system for rural and remote community suicide prevention workers in Queensland, Australia:

Gendered Identities and Caring: Health Intermediaries and Technology in Rural and Remote Queensland

A Capacity Building Approach to Health Literacy through ICTs

The development of a Web site to promote the mental and physical health of sons and daughters of Vietnam Veterans of Australia