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Healthcare knowledge sharing among a community of specialized physicians

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Abstract

Healthcare organizations strive to make the best use of their organizational knowledge. The collective know-hows of the medical workers directly affect the quality of the delivered healthcare services. This study addresses the healthcare knowledge-sharing among a community of specialized physicians. An extensive study of the literature on knowledge-sharing in industries generally and healthcare organizations specifically were presented. Six focal elements were detected in previous attempts to address the knowledge-sharing status in healthcare organizations. Additionally, three previous models for healthcare knowledge management were analyzed. The studied literature along with the three studied models helped in constructing the framework and suggesting a suitable research methodology for primary data collection. Qualitative approach of in-depth interview technique was used for interviewing eight specialized physicians. The data collected from the interviewees were then analyzed and produced explanatory themes and codes. These themes are physicians’ acquisition of medical knowledge, staff participating in the knowledge sharing, knowledge-sharing culture, ICT-based knowledge sharing and top management involvement. The findings resulted in recognizing four considerations which ought to be taken into account for successful knowledge-sharing activities and learning initiatives in the healthcare organization. Conclusions and recommendations for future studies were presented based on the implications of this research study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of ICT, Asia e University, Jalan Sultan Sulaiman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Zaid Sabeeh

  2. Computer Science Department, Taif University, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    SMFD Syed Mustapha

  3. Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Roshayu Mohamad

Authors
  1. Zaid Sabeeh
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  2. SMFD Syed Mustapha
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  3. Roshayu Mohamad
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Correspondence to Zaid Sabeeh.

Appendix 1: interview’s questions and aims

Appendix 1: interview’s questions and aims

1.1 Section A: acquisition of knowledge

A-1 Can you please explain how you acquired your medical knowledge starting from your time as a medical student, up until your present position? Can you highlight some of the most significant events during the period of your study at university and afterward as a medical practitioner?

Aim The elicitation of general information regarding the physician’s formal educational background and the main milestones in his previous learning backgrounds, starting from his time as a student at the college of medicine up to the date of conducting this interview.

A-2 Besides the aforementioned formal processes of learning, are there any other informal, personal, or organizational means that helped you shape your knowledge required for practicing your occupation? What are these means; can you please clarify?

Aim Provides a description on the informal methods and learning materials involved in shaping the physician’s knowledge. It helps in understanding the direct sources of the physician’s current knowledge including the formal and non-formal sources of knowledge.

A-3 How do you learn about new topics? Describe the methods or procedures that are relevant to your practice, especially in your area of specialization? Does the healthcare organization you are currently working for provide any programs to facilitate the continuous learning and further development of the latest medical skills?

Aim Exploring the possible activities involved in acquiring new knowledge as a personal learning effort or as set by the hospital management. Furthermore, it inquires on the possible existence of programs for ensuring the continuous learning and skills’ development in the healthcare organization.

1.2 Section B: people dealing with knowledge

B-1 Does the practicing of your occupation’s daily duties require you to interact and coordinate with medical or non-medical staff? Who are those people you interact with and do they aid in the organizational knowledge sharing and improving your knowledge for your medical practice or occupation? If yes, please outline how they assist in the development of your knowledge and improvement of your practice?

Aim To be familiarized with the medical and non-medical staff who are participating in providing sources of information and knowledge to the physician and eventually the provisioning of quality healthcare services.

Probing question What are the organizational departments they are working in? Are some of them more associated with your practice than others? Who are they?

1.3 Section C: knowledge sharing culture

C-1 How do you and your colleagues share knowledge regarding a specific topic in your area of specialization? Kindly include the formal and informal settings, if any, where this knowledge is shared, or elaborated upon, with your colleagues?

Aim Explaining in details the knowledge sharing culture among the physician being interviewed and his colleagues. This will provide insight of the actual sharing activities and how the organization supports such knowledge-sharing culture.

Probing question In your opinion, are these settings seem to be effective and sufficient? Why?

C-2 Are there any rules, guidelines, or recommendations promulgated by your organization that encourage the culture of knowledge-sharing among physicians, medical and non-medical staff?

Aim Understanding the healthcare organization’s role in establishing a culture that encourages knowledge-sharing activities among the community of physicians practicing in the same or similar area of specialization as well other medical or non-medical staff.

C-3 In your opinion, what can be done to improve or establish an effective knowledge sharing culture among physicians, other medical and non-medical staff?

Aim From the physician’s own experience and viewpoints, suggesting ways to improve or establish an effective knowledge sharing culture among physicians and other medical and non-medical staff.

1.4 Section D: ICT-supported knowledge management

D-1 How do you react when you come across a new medical case or a new detail in an existing case, which you have not studied, or experienced before? How do you decide the best course of action to take, when faced with such cases?

Aim To understand the physician’s personal behaviors and reactions when faced with new medical cases that might require new type of medical knowledge. Realizing that will aid in understanding the way the physicians decide on the relevancy of his or her current knowledge versus the new knowledge that he or she needs to acquire. The probing question inquires on the existence or nonexistence of ICT tool that supports the physician in new medical learning or observations.

Probing question Are there any technological means or tools that support you in learning about new cases or review current or previous cases?

D-2 How do you perceive collaborative learning through a Web-based environment as an alternative to traditional face-to-face knowledge-based sharing sessions? What Web-based sites have you used or have you heard about?

Aim To provide description on physician’s opinion on having an ICT system in place that can support the knowledge-sharing activities in the healthcare organization.

D-3 How would you and your colleagues make use of the availability of a mixed mode of knowledge-sharing media such as: videos, wikis, blogs, Skype, and social network sites to trace experts for specific area? Please outline any you have heard about, or might have utilized in your practice for the medical knowledge sharing?

Aim To explore the viewpoints of physician on the existence of effective technological tool which can facilitate the knowledge sharing from mixed resources in order to learn about specific topic.

D-4 How would knowing one’s participation in Web-based collaborations be useful for enhancing knowledge sharing, among members of knowledge sharing community?

Aim To express physicians’ thoughts on the usefulness of knowing who is doing most of the knowledge sharing within the community of physician regarding a certain topic.

1.5 Section E: top management reinforcement

E-1 How does the top management motivate the hospital’s personnel to maintain an environment of knowledge-sharing for the type of knowledge that is necessary for delivering quality of healthcare services? How does this link to the values and morals of the employees in this hospital, including you?

Aim To discover the approaches followed by the hospital top management in promoting a knowledge-sharing environment among the employees and how that helps in spreading high work morale among them.

E-2 How does the top management of your healthcare organization ensure a smooth flow of knowledge and adequate communications among the physicians, medical staff and non-medical staff? Are there any guidelines or systems in place for this purpose?

Aim To understand the role of top management in emphasizing on the availability of valuable knowledge to the hospital staff in order to equip them with better means to efficiently react to new medical cases admitted in their healthcare center.

Probing question What is your opinion on the top management’s initiatives and guidelines especially what relates to the knowledge management in the hospital, if any?

E-3 Finally, can you suggest or recommend how the communication of knowledge can be improved, or be made more effective, in your current practice, work place or for any other healthcare organizations that you have studied, or worked for, in the past?

Aim To obtain any possible recommendations thought by the physician for improving the overall status of knowledge management and knowledge sharing in the healthcare organization.

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Sabeeh, Z., Syed Mustapha, S. & Mohamad, R. Healthcare knowledge sharing among a community of specialized physicians. Cogn Tech Work 20, 105–124 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-017-0453-z

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