Moderators' Role in Fostering Health Practitioner Engagement Within an Online Active Learning Program (The Community Fracture Capture Learning Hub): Qualitative Relational Content Thematic Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) offer flexible platforms for interprofessional education among primary care physicians (PCPs); yet, the role of moderators in optimizing engagement remains underexplored. The Community Fracture Capture Learning Hub, a case-based, interactive web-based program addressing osteoporosis management gaps, provides an ideal context to investigate moderators' impact on collaborative learning.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to characterize moderators' roles and strategies in fostering engagement within health-focused VCoPs, using the Community Fracture Capture Learning Hub as a model.

METHODS

A qualitative relational content analysis was conducted on discussion-board interactions across four 6-week cycles (May 2022-October 2023) involving 55 PCPs and 8 moderators. Data included anonymized forum comments of moderators throughout the 4 cycles. Inductive-deductive thematic analysis identified patterns in moderator-participant and moderator-moderator exchanges, focusing on engagement techniques, content facilitation, and interaction dynamics.

RESULTS

Five interconnected themes were identified; (1) participation encouragement: moderators used personalized prompts that highlighted clinical knowledge, affirming language, and balanced encouragement frequency to stimulate involvement; (2) evident moderator collaboration: cross-moderation through mutual collaboration that focused on clinical knowledge, shared prompts, and comment-building reinforced community cohesion; (3) topic discussions: strategic techniques (querying, framing, and real-world contextualization) deepened clinical reasoning; (4) PCPs' clinical practice discussion: moderators bridged theory-practice gaps using case-based exchanges on screening, treatment protocols, and evidence translation; and (5) progression of engagement: moderators evolved from structured guidance to collaborative dialogue, reducing formality and increasing topic complexity over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Thematic analysis suggested that moderators are pivotal in transforming VCoPs into dynamic learning environments. Their ability to blend rational skills, clinical authenticity, and adaptive facilitation drives knowledge coconstruction and practice-relevant engagement. Future studies should consider investing in competency-based moderator training that emphasizes empathetic communication and collaborative techniques as a means of structuring effective VCoPs.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/57511.