Use of the internet to optimise collaborative healthcare research.

This article explores some of the issues related to setting up and maintaining virtual collaborations in healthcare research. Using the learning from one such collaboration--the Virtual Institute of Research in Healthcare Practice--and the literature on collaborative and virtual working, this article examines the interface of collaboration and virtual working and some of the methods that may maximise achievement. Some pointers are also offered for those setting up or working in the area of collaborative healthcare research.