Sanar: A Collaborative Environment to Support Knowledge Sharing with Medical Artifacts

Abstract

Collaborative web environments can support medical knowledge construction since geographically dispersed individuals can share artifacts and build diagnoses together. Thus, health professionals and students can exchange views and experiences by discussing medical cases. The purpose of this paper is to present Sanar, a collaborative web environment where professionals and students can create discussions about new cases or contribute to existing cases' discussions. This solution promotes the growth potential of the group through individual contributions, with the aim of building the medical case. It also allows the study of the different mechanisms of interaction in a global context, through the potential of Web 2.0. The Sanar prototype was developed and evaluated by doctors living in Brazil and Spain, who indicated the usefulness of the approach.