# Do you think we are spreading ourselves too thin? Canonical source: [https://www.braver.net/en/blog/do-you-think-we-are-spreading-ourselves-too-thin/]() The Braver journal What we do may seem simple at first glance. I know, because people have told me so on a few occasions. ![Marie-Lou Gagnon]() Marie-Lou Gagnon October 31, 2022 ![Do you think we are spreading ourselves too thin?]() A coach told me: “The first time I saw what you were doing, I thought, ‘*Oh no, not another communication app*.’ Then I understood.” Or there were the times when potential funders questioned whether barriers to entry existed. When we hear the idea of a “clinical communication app”, we instinctively feel we understand what it involves. But like anything else, it is never that simple. Sometimes I wonder what you really think; I worry that I might confuse you when, within three weeks, I announce that Braver has been deployed in a care pathway at Hôpital de Montmagny, that it will be deployed in Maisons des Ainés with an integration partner, and that a launch evening is being planned in Baie-des-Chaleurs. And there are many more announcements like these on the way. I worry that I might confuse you in this maze of small and large steps toward creating the largest network of clinicians. But why do we always talk about this network? ### The network: the foundation of communication tools Communication tools often rely on a unique identifier and a directory to connect their users. Take the telephone, for example: each user has their own number that makes them reachable. Everyone can share it with their family and friends. But beyond that, back in the day, the wider network could be found in a public directory (the *white* and *yellow* pages). That is still somewhat limited, since if your name is Pierre Tremblay, there is a good chance you are not the only one in the directory. That is why directories also developed at a local level. Every small town had its own directory to make communication between residents easier. Another example is the instant messaging offered by Messenger (from Facebook). It was developed after the Facebook social network emerged. Facebook users created their profiles on the network, giving them a unique identity (a little like a telephone number) and making them reachable by their close and wider networks. Facebook then became the White and Yellow Pages 3.0, because suddenly it was easier to find people, most of whom were part of the network. And so Messenger was born. Now let us return to Braver and its ambitious vision of becoming the largest network of clinicians to make the healthcare system more collaborative. How can a communication tool transcend all the silos in healthcare? ## Two different approaches to the same goal When I try to put myself in your position, I think it must seem strange to see Braver being deployed in a hospital while simultaneously preparing a launch evening to energize a regional network. Whether through foundational projects, such as deploying a care pathway in a hospital, or through launching Braver in Baie-des-Chaleurs, the goal is the same: **to build one large, unified network so healthcare professionals can communicate and collaborate more effectively.** To better understand why these two very different approaches contribute to the same goal, let us look at the different drivers that can create a need for communication between healthcare professionals. ### First driver — clinical use cases When patients enter a hospital, it is often because of an acute health problem that requires a coordinated care team. Depending on the problem, certain processes and protocols will be put in place to support the patient's care pathway. This driver inevitably requires healthcare professionals to communicate with other professionals, whether they want to or not. In this care setting, Braver therefore plugs into a use case, so to speak, to support it as effectively as possible. And, in turn, deploying Braver in these foundational projects helps build the network. **This approach reflects the complexity of collaboration in a hospital environment.** ### Second driver — existing human networks When patients navigate primary care, through private or community providers, most of the time there are no clearly established processes or protocols like those found in the public system. Communication between the different professionals therefore often depends on everyone's goodwill, provided the situation is not critical, of course. The driver that leads healthcare professionals to communicate then rests largely on the bond of trust established between individuals. Braver supports this type of communication by enabling and legitimizing individual healthcare professionals to join the network. It is through this existing human network that the Braver network can grow: we call this organic growth. **This approach is consistent with the natural way collaboration works in primary care.** On one hand, the Braver network develops by supporting individuals who want to collaborate better, and on the other, it develops by supporting more complex collaboration use cases. --- We have thought through these approaches and analyzed them. We have also questioned them when people told us to develop a more targeted strategy. We thought we were crazy when people seemed to think we were spreading ourselves too thin. We told ourselves it was too big for us. Then we told ourselves we would keep going because we knew the Braver network could transform the healthcare system. Because ultimately, we did not decide to make things complicated for ourselves with this go-to-market approach. All we did was listen to this complex ecosystem and adapt to its reality. Lasting solutions for the healthcare system are rarely simple, because if they were, we would have found them a long time ago.