New forms of technology, new forms of collaboration?

Traditionally, much intraprofessional and interprofessional collaboration in health and social care has been based on simultaneous face-to-face interaction. The use of information technology presents staff with a number of opportunities to engage with new forms of collaboration. The particular advantage of these technologies is that they can overcome the need to share the same physical space and time for collaborative activities. This chapter examines the issues surrounding the policy and practice of these technologies in supporting collaboration within health and social care settings.