The Joint Commission - WikiHealthCare

WikiHealthCare

In June 2007, The Joint Commission launched the pilot of a free, internet-based, collaborative forum called WikiHealthCare. The term "Wiki" refers to a type of Web site/software that allows users to freely create and edit the content of their Web pages. "Wiki" is derived from open-source software/programming code originally developed in 1995 and it is the driving force of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. What makes Wikipedia so unique is that all content on its pages is created and edited by a community of users.

Unlike Wikipedia, which is designed to be an encyclopedia, the purpose of WikiHealthCare is to foster collaboration among thousands of health care professionals on important health care quality issues. While this type of collaboration has been a dream of many health care quality pioneers, it has only recently become technically possible. WikiHealthCare is free, but users must register to contribute on the site. The site was expanded in September 2007 to include The Joint Commission standards development activities. The goal of this expansion was not to replace the current method of field engagement, but to develop a new way of doing additional front-end research and allowing the field to identify cutting-edge issues in health care. The Joint Commission Currently has three issues for review on WikiHealthCare including: the transfer of health information, pharmacist review of protocols for contrast agents in radiology, and how health care services can be provided using the concepts of clinical microsystems and patient-centered care. The Joint Commission is working on adding additional issues over the next few weeks, including surgical site infections, MRI and imaging safety, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Instructions for using WikiHealthCare (PDF, 84KB, requires Adobe® Reader®).

Contact Information

Scott Williams, Psy.D
Associate Director
Division of Quality Measurement & Research
The Joint Commission