Inquiry in health knowledge management

Abstract

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to reduce ambiguity in diverse approaches to health knowledge management by surfacing key issues, perspectives and philosophical assumptions. Design/methodology/approach-Knowledge management research in health is critically reviewed. Issues are grouped into research domains, and examined in the light of associated knowledge management perspectives, and philosophical assumptions. Findings-Systemic complexity in health knowledge management derives from tensions within and between issues in three domains: specific value-laden aspects of clinic practice (knowledge creation); integration of workplace practice into generic process flows (knowledge normalization); and the technical integration of disparate information systems (knowledge application). These concepts are related to three knowledge management perspectives, viz., personal values, social norms and objective facts, respectively. Both domains and perspectives are anchored in philosophical assumptions about the interests served by knowledge (viz., emancipatory, practical, and technical), and in approaches to inquiry (critical pluralist, interpretivist, and positivist). Research limitations/implications-The findings are based on selected literature about Western health care practices Practical implications-The framework assists understanding of the practical reasoning that motivates the use of technology in health knowledge management. The conceptual linkages that are developed are of value to practitioners and researchers sensitive to the intertwining of facts, norms and values. Originality/value-In total, the concepts and relations developed in this paper constitute both a framework for inquiry in health knowledge management, and a normative theory for a critique of patient care. Recognising, and articulating, the relative importance one ascribes to facts, norms, and values is crucial in tackling the hard problems in health knowledge management.

Gestão do Conhecimento no Âmbito da Administração Hospitalar: Proposta de Modelo Conceitual Integrativo para Gestão do Corpo Clínico

“…A codificação e a personalização devem ser combinadas nos hospitais (Sheffield, 2008). A codificação de conhecimento explícito em saúde pode ser realizada por meio da Medicina Baseada em Evidências (Abalos, Carroli & Mackey, 2005), protocolos clínicos de atuação (Yamazaki & Umemoto, 2010), pesquisas bibliográficas, diretrizes e opiniões de especialistas, entre outros (Bordoloi & Islam, 2012).…”

Knowledge management: An innovative risk management strategy

“…(12) The processes should be formalized and awarded resources, but there is a recognition of the value of informal knowledge-sharing strategies and relationships to enable risk identification and support safety culture and organizational learning. These "watercooler" efforts can help pave the way to the development of more formal sharing mechanisms.…”

A study on organizational culture, structure and information technology as three KM enablers: A case study in five Iranian medical and healthcare research centers

“…The necessity of KM in healthcare is due to the fact that healthcare professionals have encountered a paradox and they are overwhelmed with information but cannot choose a particular piece of information when and where they need it (Bordoloi & Islam, 2012;Gray & Lusignan, 1999). Sheffield (2008) stated that KM was systemically more complex in healthcare because the three domain of knowledge creation, knowledge normalization and knowledge application correspond to three KM perspectives i.e., personal values, social norms and objective facts, respectively, which have inherent tension between and within them (Guptill, 2005;Sheffield, 2008). KM research in healthcare over the years has focused mainly on: the nature of knowledge in the healthcare sector, the type of KM tools and initiatives, which are suitable for the healthcare sector, and the barriers and enablers for adoption of KM practices (Bordoloi & Islam, 2012;Nicolini et al, 2008b).…”