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Table 3 Meaningful interactions – themed influences on healthcare practice and patient care

From: Communities of practice in Alberta Health Services: advancing a learning organisation

Themes

Participant quotes

Role

Safe space to connect and learn

What goes on in the meeting is confidential and we’re safe to say whatever it is we want to say in there without people, you know, disrespecting each other or taking it outside.” (Multi-zone wide CoP – 007)

Member

The frontline staff wanted to continue to have a safe place where they could meet and share their practice stories and experiences after that initial training …” (Zone-wide CoP – 024)

Facilitator

So it’s a bit of a balance of having experts available to provide content but then also having a platform that’s safe for conversation and knowing that you can ask a question and, you know, get a good response without being criticized or judged or having somebody question your clinical skills or something like that.” (Province-wide CoP – 031)

Member

Interpersonal connection

First year, focused a lot on forms of socializing as a team – things like how you view and understand your colleagues, shared experiences.” (Multi-zone CoP – 017)

Facilitator

We don’t go out to coffee together and we started on a virtual platform because we had to and we started to form personal and professional relationships.” (Zone-wide CoP – 011)

Member

“… being rural and the only person around in your area … it can be very isolating, so you have that feeling like you have some kind of community.” (Zone-wide CoP – 025)

Facilitator

Better practice

We’re meeting as a [CoP] team every week and we … discuss – how do we move our program forward, how do we do things differently, how do we make improvements, how do we change things?” (Zone-wide CoP – 022)

Member

It absolutely [has] changed a lot about the way I work. It’s really helped our communications and information sharing … we have a place to go to communicate …” (Province-wide CoP – 018)

Facilitator

CoPs help improve patient care and family care, so anything that helps staff support patients and families and improve care is a definite bonus.” (Site-specific CoP – 002)

Facilitator

Professional voice and identity

“[CoP members] have ownership and voice in setting direction.” (Zone-wide CoP – 028)

Facilitator

“[Our] group contributed content and our opinions on how to develop [resources] and now it’s going to get shared back with the group as a province-wide [resource/standard].” (Enterprise-wide CoP – 021)

Sponsor

Now the whole team looks at competency profiles and works to achieve the goal collectively … and has shared ways for other sites to build on that.” (Enterprise-wide CoP – 006)

Facilitator

Focused team learning

Getting people together … so much can be accomplished by getting like minds together – problem solving and sharing of information.” (Zone-wide CoP – 022)

Facilitator

When a site talks about how they struggled and how they overcame that struggle – and especially how that has led to success – that is invaluable.” (Enterprise-wide CoP – 006)

Facilitator

It’s so energizing to see [CoP member] excitement about what we’ve talked about or what [members] learned and how they’re going to implement it – it’s very satisfying.” (Site-specific CoP – 002)

Facilitator

  1. CoPs Communities of Practice