Knowledge Management in Healthcare: Succeeding in Spite of Technology

Technology and healthcare ever have had an uneasy relationship. On one hand, there is the promise of technology and the enhancements it offers healthcare. These include improved medical information access, streamlined reporting, automation, reduced errors and more compact processes. On the other hand, technology has fallen very brief of its complete potential in healthcare, as too many fighting systems make integrated information difficult to obtain. Additionally, the burdens of data entry and analysis burdens overwhelm rather as opposed to streamline processes.

Healthcare faces these mistakes if it applies technology to organizational Knowledge Management (KM) without mostly identifying KM goals and understanding how a KM system will be able to be exhausted by administrators, physicians, managers, and staff. Technology facilitates knowledge exchange, but it is not the end-all to managing knowledge effectively. Technology designed to enhance the interaction among a state of similar-minded participants, such as healthcare employees, can greatly enhance the exchange of knowledge. But it is the method and culture of an organization instead than the level of applied technology the current make a KM system a wealth or void of retrievable information.

An effective KM system is constructed on communication and education and thrives in organizations encouraging shared learning both within and outside of the hospital walls. These systems store historical knowledge and knowledge created during exchanges of data among people who are interested in learning. Knowledge management authorities designed with goals in mind, versus just recently acquiring the most advanced technology, is what will be able to validation healthcare organizations in streamlining processes, reducing costs and improving care.

Why Knowledge Management in Healthcare?

Healthcare industry professionals are identifying this previous efforts, (e.g. search for the elusive best practice and applying it as a commodity), bureaucratic and toothless performance improvement initiatives and poorly thought-out IT implementations, hold not led to improved results and reduced costs. As a mindset, KM attaches importance to knowledge and identifies the cost of knowledge at distinct levels. As a framework, KM facilitates knowledge access and transfer, which helps adjust behaviors and improve decisions. Knowledge management institutions validation healthcare workers in utilizing available knowledge to develop organizational learning. This learning aides the employees in critiquing a compilation of practice tools and successfully designing a customized Best Practice for the organization. A good KM system can help employees make and triumph new knowledge. It is capable of driving decisions, tweak and renovations to all levels of the organization. And, in this era of escalating costs and declining reimbursements, an effective KM technique is virtually principle to a healthcare organization's process improvement and cost reduction strategies.

Hospitals can be isolated places, which construct it tough to gather knowledge'. The clinical side has the measurable investigation and knows the outcomes, but the operational portion of the hospital lacks currently information. Consider this example. A hospital's operational members may be well abreast of the increased benefit to changing one of its products used for patient attention management. Nevertheless, the staff struggles when it comes to demonstrating the cost/benefit to administration and to the physicians. A KM system offers a hospital realtors access to strategies and contacts so properties can figure out how others have successfully carried out similar situations.

Can We Talk?

Hospital staff is willing to share such a knowledge provided others in the field, although it's often done informally, such as networking at a convention or conversations with internal and external peers. Effective KM systems capitalize on these kinds of opportunities.

How performs a KM system change behaviors and improve decisions? One hospital department is concerned with retaining staff, actually in sunbeams of the the most recent nursing shortage. Typically, the manager struggles through the staffing issues alone or relies on a few peers within the department. Yet, how if the manager could connect with a peer internally and solicit his or her advice, a good deal though this employee runs in an unrelated department? The insight and perspective from an outsider may be very useful. How in regards to contacting peers at other facilities? An effective KM system would facilitate experience sharing' among people struggling with staffing issues. It also archives the solutions brainstormed based on what i read in the interaction to use as a basis for going up the collective knowledge of the group. This information is then readily accessible the next era a hospital manager (within the hospital or from one more facility) faces retention issues.

Another method hospitals typically use to gain knowledge is gathering ideas from a multitude of experts, as is done when attending a conference or a convention. Yet, how is that information disseminated throughout the hospital or healthcare organization if just two employees attended the convention? If it is difficult to share and form ideas within one department or that much throughout one hospital, how can any person expect cross-hospital exchanges to prove fruitful? Obviously, it is more difficult to share information when individuals are not physically together and continuing to more complex when the individuals are workforces of different healthcare organizations. The help of sharing such a huge tank of knowledge are colossal. Technology is a must in these cases.

Knowledge Management ≠ Information Technology

Effective KM cannot be believed of, nor treated, as simply another exercise in information technology. Unfortunately, due to the access and distribution enhancements technology provides, healthcare administrators often have a distorted view of a KM system as an info technology system or as a solution that needs to be applied. While technology enhances sharing and information exchange, even the most technologically advanced KM process might not solve most any dilemma. The keys to a successful KM implementation are:

· Identify the knowledge to exchange and distribute

· Determine how knowledge will be managed

· Match technology and resources appropriately to the culture and needs of the organization

Another fallacy about KM is that “knowledge” can be reduced to documents and then warehoused in a computer database for people to access as needed. The improvement resulting from a KM system comes from personal interaction, the sharing of experiences, taking action and recording the results, growing collective knowledge of a group and building new knowledge from the experiences of others. Technology based solely on warehousing knowledge “documents” or perfect practices are not lucrative in driving change and improvement in the organization.

It takes resources beyond technology to manage knowledge effectively. Group interactions must be facilitated, results must be archived and reinvested in the knowledge pool and management actions and change must be supported by the organization. Effectively managing and leveraging knowledge in an organization cannot be abdicated to the IT system.

Apply Thoughtful Technology

Organizations own a habit of buying the latest, greatest KM method on the market, if for no other rationale as opposed to while others have done the same. Yet, elaborate governments that aren't called for tend to breed reluctance. Does the hospital or healthcare association outstandingly need the latest and greatest? When analyzing the implementation of a KM system, first determine what is really required to meet the hospital's needs. For instance, take the uncomplicated suggestion box. Are the workers building practical suggestions or snide comments? Is the indication box readily accessible? Does the hospital culture encourage suggestions and incorporate them into the organization's routines? If so, this is a struggling and useful KM system. This is when technology can really enhance the system by extending its reach and initiating a historical warehouse of implementations. But, when the proof box isn't used appropriately, then holding the latest, greatest, technologically advanced computer suggestion box won't improve anything. Once again, an organization requires a “learning” culture to value the collaborative learning obtained throughout KM systems.

Some corporations overcome such obstacles by making the most of technology as a tool instead of as a solution. Technology can enhance knowledge exchange by providing multiple access cases (interactive events and data warehouses) and ubniquitous distribution of new and innovative ideas. Thoughtful abstracting and archiving of incidences and documents enable managers to actively apply lessons learned by others and applies knowledge to their daily work.

Managing Competing Expectations of Users and Administrators

Unless it fills specific need and is easily accessible in one's daily routine, a KM system will probably be ignored. Healthcare runs at a hectic rate and real estate agents needs to spend as little time as possible navigating a KM system to construct useful information. Administrators will not validation KM efforts unless properties see provided evidence results. Consider the approaching criteria when weighing the experts and cons of a KM system:

· What is the organization's purpose for the KM system?

· Where is the existing knowledge?

· How is the knowledge transferred?

· Who will have access to the system?

· How will access privileges vary among staff members?

· How am able to every department use the system?

· How will innovations be exchanged, in-house exclusively or
with other organizations?

· What is the property of the KM system? Will it just
create directories of establishments or will it also create active learning communities (active learning)?

· What total amount of validation will be major at each level?

· How user-friendly is it?

It never serves an association to design a system with all the like bells and whistles, just for the sake of having slick features. Create a KM system long&wshyp;term with the way the hospital staff should use it. If the purpose is to inspire employees to think ‘outside the box', systems can be intended to facilitate this. The best way to manage competing anticipations is to understand it all upfront. The healthcare industry, especially, performs not have the bankroll to pay for underutilized features.

Key Components for A Successful KM System:

1. Fulfills organizational goals. A KM system structured around an organization's goals will support the efforts of employees to reach these goals. John Ager, Team Coordinator of the Endoscopy Department for Sentara Healthcare Systems, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has participated in monthly teleconference calls with colleagues nationwide. “It is part of my hospital's aspiration to do benchmarking. This hospital is very strong on sharing information and the previous supplies were not effective. Prior to the teleconference calls, we were doing phone communication, that was difficult at best. Now we have set scheduled times on a monthly motive and we just recently picked up using computer-based knowledge.”

2. Addresses social networks. If employees feel like properties belong to a particular group, then they are more likely to share successes and failures in on that group. Sharing failures is especially beneficial to a knowledge management system from the time of people tend to learn more effectively when they're told/shown what not to do. Develop knowledge communities or communities of practice (COP's) out there functional and clinical topics. Orchestrate events where staff can share experiences (especially failures) without fear of censure.Collective history of a social network is important. The background information from all participants in a COP builds a shared, historical base, that solidifies commitment to the group process and swells exchanges. “I've really enjoyed the participation,” says Ager. “It has really helped me get a better picture of the field I'm in while I'm actually having a one-on-one immediate interaction through a person as opposed to the old method where you'd have a fixed set of questions you'd e-mail to them. Then, you'd try to requirement them to get answers or properties would fax their answers back to you. It wasn't as clear and concise. This is ongoing and I like the immediate and personal response back,” explains Ager.

3. Archives existent knowledge. Create historical records by categorizing and abstracting knowledge gleaned out of interactions. Make it easy for users to locate relevant learning. Ager uses his KM system to share documentation prior to the actual teleconference in on the other participants. They use spreadsheets and data management for references when speaking on the telephone. “I've discovered this aspect beneficial as as we are talking, I'm able to look at the information firsthand and it spurs queries for me too,” says Ager. Additionally, all participants receive e-mail summations of the teleconference (created by the KM method coordinator). Call inquiries are established on the suggestions and queries introduced in previous teleconferences. If one facility has a specific question, the coordinator will request patterns related to this question from all participants, summarize the information and then forward it to all facilities.

4. Facilitates “new” knowledge. Knowledge comes from many resources combined with knowledge forums, conference calls, research articles, surveys, and opinion polls. Encourage participants to exchange innovations and share experiences, challenges and successes. Most people are not able to develop an action plan simply by reading or analyzing data. Rather, they are a larger amount of inspired by talking and exchanging ideas. According to Ager, “Participating in the teleconference calls is one of the highest quality ways of sharing information that I've been exposed to in the last nine years since I've been working for now facility. It's given me true time information and true people to language to. Issues constantly change. At one point, staffing was a priority at the majority of of the facilities and because we shared information, opposite facilities implemented the shared tools when it was the right time for them. It's straightforward than looking at a piece of paper with raw info on it wondering what to do with it.”

Moving Forward

The explosion of information technology and its minute accessibility have came up with powerful solutions for the healthcare business. Healthcare are required to invest its resources and technology wisely. A carefully mulled over and well-resourced KM implementation will enable organizations to leverage data, knowledge and experience to improve patient care and fewer healthcare costs. Why ‘reinvent these conversations' when they've already taken place countless times? KM institutions designed to serve an organization's goals, and put up to foster social interactions that encourage the exchange of knowledge, plans to aide organizations in revolutionizing healthcare.

Sidebar: Keys to Generating New Knowledge
Use these ideas when designing a KM system:

· Create Communities of Practice (COP)

· Moderate COP processes to extract learning

· Make continuous learning available

· Determine how successes are shared and how failures are communicated

· Analyze failure for coming years learning

· Generate, abstract and categorize historical knowledge records

· Provide multiple access paths for participants


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