Newswise — The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO-Geneva) and other partners, will launch the Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery Community of Practice (GANM CoP) on September 11, 2006. The new online community has been designed to offer nurses and midwives throughout the world—despite their geographic location and physical settings—a forum for sharing ideas, best practices, and new knowledge.
The GANM CoP employs an electronic communication system that is specifically designed for use in remote and/or low bandwidth settings and requires only an e-mail address in order to participate. "We can use the system to reach isolated nurses, midwives, and health workers who are desperate to communicate with others around the world," says Patricia Abbott, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, co-director of the school's WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center for Knowledge, Information Management, and Sharing, the unit which serves as the Secretariat for the GANM CoP. "E-mail is seeping into even the most remote of places—from internet kiosks in the jungles of Peru and Bolivia, to the African bush, at the top of mountains, and in neighborhoods without running water."
The Community of Practice launch on September 11, 2006 will feature an Online Global Discussion Forum analyzing the contribution of nurses and midwives to health and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Through a seven country video conference, the Forum will be introduced by Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein of Jordan and His Excellency Dr. S. Darwazeh Minister of Health of Jordan. Guest experts from the World Health Organization, Ministries of Health, Nursing and Midwifery Associations, and other organizations and institutions from around the world will host and moderate the discussion.
Abbott and her colleagues invite and encourage nurses, midwives, and other health care professionals worldwide to join the Community of Practice to share views, experience, and expertise. An e-mail address is all that is needed to join the GANM Community of Practice at http://my.ibpinitiative.org/public/ganm/ and to become part of a global forum where members will network with colleagues; access up-to-date information, resource materials, toolkits, and educational opportunities; and learn the best practices to improve the health care in their local communities.
The GANM CoP electronic communication system has been developed with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The project also is a component of the Information and Knowledge for Optimal Health (INFO) Project's Implementing Best Practices (IBP) Knowledge Gateway at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The GANM is a partnership committed to enhancing health outcomes through knowledge sharing and collaboration and involves: WHO: Department of Human Resources for Health, Office of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, Implementing Best Practices Initiative, Department of Knowledge Management and Sharing, Knowledge Communities and Strategy, WHO Collaborating Centers for Nursing and Midwifery: The John Hopkins University School of Nursing; University of California, San Francisco; University of Michigan, Columbia University; New York University; Glasgow Caledonia University, The Catholic Medical Missions Board, JHPIEGO, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Centre for Communication Programs, INFO Project, and the Health Communication Partnership, Public Health Institute.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing is a global leader in nursing research, education and scholarship and is ranked among the top 10 nursing higher education institutions in the country. The School's community health program is second in the nation and the nursing research program now holds eighth position among the top nursing schools for securing federal research grants. The School continues to maintain its reputation for excellence and educates nurses who set the highest standards for patient care, exemplify scholarship, and become innovative national and international leaders in the evolution of the nursing profession and the health care system. For more information, visit http://www.son.jhmi.edu/
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