TY - JOUR T1 - Google governance: increasing the effectiveness of critical care physicians through the use of an online usergroup JF - Emergency Medicine Journal JO - Emerg Med J SP - 50 LP - 51 DO - 10.1136/emj.2009.075713 VL - 27 IS - 1 AU - C Reid AU - S Harper AU - A Tzannes AU - K Habig AU - S Coombes AU - S Hayes AU - B Burns AU - C Oh AU - M Newcombe AU - S L Fineberg AU - G Tall AU - M Novy Y1 - 2010/01/01 UR - http://emj.bmj.com/content/27/1/50.abstract N2 - Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the use of an online usergroup to enhance communication and productivity by critical care specialists.Methods: In this article, we provide a description of the first 6 months of use of an online usergroup by senior retrieval physicians.Results: Initially developed as a communication and online discussion tool, our online usergroup evolved to include a number of other utilities that support clinical governance. These included a repository for useful files, educational presentations, online rostering and “portfolio pages”, updating aspects of an individual specialist’s non-clinical activity. Its applications continue to evolve in number and utility. Participating physicians perceive an increase in organisational efficiency.Conclusions: An online usergroup such as Google Groups may provide powerful support to an organisation’s clinical governance. We recommend this tool to other services with limited administrative personnel. ER -