Knowledge Management

The objective of this study was to explore in depth how primary care clinicians (general practitioners and practice nurses) derive their individual and collective healthcare decisions through an ethnographic study using standard methods (non-participant observation, semistructured interviews, and documentary review) over two years. [adapted from author]

This presentation was a part of a 2009 Global Health Mini-University and covers acheiving health information for all; defining knowledge for health; information needs, capacity and delivery preferences of health professionals; and extending the reach and use of health information. [adapted from author]

The nursing service of a Quebec-based health and social services centre has developed an evidence-informed approach to capture knowledge from experienced nurses, and transfer it to new nursing staff. The project has increased the success rate of new nurse orientations and retention, and has reduced the reliance on supplemental nursing resources. [adapted from author]

This legacy brief describes the knowledge management principles and successful initiatives of the Capacity Project such as the HRH Global Resource Center, the HRH Action Framework, the Uganda Ministry of Health KM Portal and health information libraries.

We conducted this study to document the perceptions of community health workers in Pakistan on their knowledge and communication needs, image building through mass media and mechanisms for continued education. [adapted from abstract]

The sheer volume of research-based evidence is one of the main barriers to better use of knowledge. About 10 years ago, if general internists wanted to keep abreast of the primary clinical literature, they would have needed to read 17 articles daily. Today, with more than 1000 articles indexed daily by MEDLINE, that figure is likely double. The problem is compounded by the inability of clinicians to afford more than a few seconds at a time in their practices for finding and assimilating evidence.

In Southern Sudan, the Capacity Project is strengthening the Ministry of Health’s ability to hire, train and manage a high-quality health workforce. Opened in May 2008, the Project-supported resource center provides hospital staff, medical students and Ministry of Health personnel with print and electronic materials, library services, Internet access and computer training. [adapted from author]

Before the HRH situation could be addressed, it had to be measured. While it was long apparent that HRH availability, quality, and management needed to be improved, data to determine staffing needs and guide staff training and allocation were lacking. [from author]

This commentary article is focused on encouraging debate and discussion as to how health care professionals in the developed world might wish to re-think the relationship with colleagues in other health care environments and consider how to work together on a theme of two-way shared learning rather than one-way aid. [adapted from abstract]

Health care workers in developing countries continue to lack access to basic, practical information to enable them to deliver safe, effective care. This paper provides the first phase of a broader literature review of the information and learning needs of health care providers in developing countries. [from abstract]

With external assistance, developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa are beginning to establish better human resources information systems (HRIS) as part of a comprehensive and integrated response to some of the fundamental challenges posed by the health crisis. While this is a positive development, it is equally important to begin thinking about simple, practical approaches for supporting HR planners and senior decision-makers to be effective leaders and managers of HR data. [from author]

This guide will help frontline health workers use the data collected at health facilities to solve common problems in service delivery and improve their response to community needs. It is intended for doctors, nurses, and midwives in community-based health centers. The overall aim of the guide is to promote greater use of existing service data to improve health services. It does not require health workers to collect any additional data. [introduction]

This is a summary report from the Africa Health Workforce Observatory meeting held September 26-29, 2006, at the ECSA headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The meeting focused on developing mechanisms to create up-to-date and reliable information that enables evidence-based decision making for HRH. [adapted from author’s description]

The aims of this study are: to examine to what extent critical care and advanced practice nurses’participation in an online listserv constituted a community of practice, and to explore how the nurses use electronic media to communicate with one another. Findings suggest that the online listserv environment, as a whole, did function as an online community of practice, where participation not only served as an avenue for knowledge sharing situated in the actual context of the nurses’ everyday work experience, but also helped to reinforce identity of the nursing practice itself. [from abstrac

This presentation was part of the ECSA Workforce Observatory Meeting in Arusha. It describes the Health Workforce Observatory’s purpose to “bring together stakeholders involved in HR for Health at country level to collect, collate, process, analyze and disseminate evidence based HR information for HR development and networking at country and sub regional levels for health improvement.” It outlines the strategies from a country level and international level including stakeholders and support.

This presentation was part of the ECSA Workforce Observatory Meeting in Arusha. It outlines the role of national observatories “to convene and mobilize the relevant stakeholders, to identify sources of information and ensure further analysis, research, to prioritize the main issues, and to build consensus over policy interventions.” The author also discusses some possible functions of the obervatories, critical success factors, key activities, and lessons learned.

This presentation was part of the ECSA Workforce Observatory Meeting in Arusha. It describes the Africa Health Workforce Observatory as a cooperative initiative and partnership (public sector, NGO/ CSOs, academy, professional associations, international & subregional organizations, development partners) to improve human resources development through promoting and facilitating evidence-based policy-making.

This tool is designed to help health care program managers understand what a best practice is, identify best practices within their own organizations, and share them internally. Too often internal sharing is limited to the informal diffusion of common practices through personal connections. Much more can be accomplished if an organization develops systematic processes to identify and share the practices that work best for them. [author’s description]

This paper explores the implications and impact of knowledge management on family planning and reproductive health care. Using case studies and illustrative vignettes, the paper highlights the experiences of a number of developing country family planning/reproductive health organizations in integrating knowledge management tools and strategies to improve work processes and outcomes. [publisher’s description]

UniNet is an Internet-based thematic network for a virtual community of users. It supports a virtual multidisciplinary community for physicians, focused on the improvement of clinical practice. This is a study of the effects of a thematic network such as UniNet on primary care medicine in a rural area, specifically as a platform of communication between specialists at the hospital and doctors in the rural area. [from abstract]