Moderators’ Role in Fostering Health Practitioner Engagement Within an Online Active Learning Program (The Community Fracture Capture Learning Hub): Qualitative Relational Content Thematic Analysis

BACKGROUND: Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) offer flexible platforms for interprofessional education among primary care physicians (PCPs); yet, the role of moderators in optimizing engagement remains underexplored. The Community Fracture Capture Learning Hub, a case-based, interactive web-based program addressing osteoporosis management gaps, provides an ideal context to investigate moderators' impact on collaborative learning. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize moderators' roles and strategies in fostering engagement within health-focused VCoPs, using the Community Fracture Capture Learning Hub as a model. METHODS: A qualitative relational content analysis was conducted on discussion-board interactions across four 6-week cycles (May 2022-October 2023) involving 55 PCPs and 8 moderators. Data included anonymized forum comments of moderators throughout the 4 cycles. Inductive-deductive thematic analysis identified patterns in moderator-participant and moderator-moderator exchanges, focusing on engagement techniques, content facilitation, and interaction dynamics. RESULTS: Five interconnected themes were identified; (1) participation encouragement: moderators used personalized prompts that highlighted clinical knowledge, affirming language, and balanced encouragement frequency to stimulate involvement; (2) evident moderator collaboration: cross-moderation through mutual collaboration that focused on clinical knowledge, shared prompts, and comment-building reinforced community cohesion; (3) topic discussions: strategic techniques (querying, framing, and real-world contextualization) deepened clinical reasoning; (4) PCPs' clinical practice discussion: moderators bridged theory-practice gaps using case-based exchanges on screening, treatment protocols, and evidence translation; and (5) progression of engagement: moderators evolved from structured guidance to collaborative dialogue, reducing formality and increasing topic complexity over time. CONCLUSIONS: Thematic analysis suggested that moderators are pivotal in transforming VCoPs into dynamic learning environments. Their ability to blend rational skills, clinical authenticity, and adaptive facilitation drives knowledge coconstruction and practice-relevant engagement. Future studies should consider investing in competency-based moderator training that emphasizes empathetic communication and collaborative techniques as a means of structuring effective VCoPs. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/57511.