Online Volunteered Doctors in Searching for Balance: Strategies for Success

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are now central to professional career, community life, social and personal relationships as well as connecting everyone through a range of devices at home and work, in open spaces, and while on the move. By integrating the ICT, the virtual work arrangement facilitates online volunteer in organizing their jobs, providing the autonomy to select the best work setting in fulfilling individual’s work and family needs. The case study aims to investigate at how medical doctors coped when they volunteered online, as well as the strategies they established. The data were collected using an in-depth interview from seventeen informants chosen through combination of purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis was performed to analyze the data. The findings indicate that the doctors are able to establish boundaries between work and family by implementing four strategies: leveraging ICT, adjusting time management, utilizing others and prioritizing. Most importantly, this study provided evidence-based suggestions to those who volunteer online on how to develop effective strategies that will dramatically improve long-term success in the virtual health community.