Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mitigating Barriers to Healthcare Knowledge Sharing in the Collaboration of Traditional and Western Practitioners in Chinese Hospitals

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management (IC3K 2013)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 454))

  • 1002 Accesses

Abstract

This paper reports on a research study that aimed to mitigate and propose strategies to overcome barriers to patient-centered knowledge sharing (KS) in the interprofessional collaboration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine (WM) professionals, who coexist and collaborate in the same hospitals in China. This research adopted a Grounded Theory approach using a Chinese public hospital as case-study, at which 49 informants were interviewed by using semi-structured and evolving interview scripts. 11 KS barriers emerged from significant and prevalent philosophical and professional tensions between the two professional groups. Therefore, to improve KS and mitigate the tensions, three strategies are proposed: (1) formalizing KS processes and exploring effective communication channels; (2) establishing specific interprofessional training schemes and programs; (3) eliminating imbalances of professional power and statues and creating conducive KS environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Wong, T., Wong, S., Donna, S.: Traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine in Hong Kong: a comparison of the consultation processes and side effects. Hong Kong Med. J. 45, 278–284 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cheng, J.: Review: drug therapy in chinese traditional medicine. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 40, 445–450 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Hyatt, R.: Chinese Herbal Medicine: Ancient Art and Modern Science. Wildwood House Limited, London (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Chi, C.: Integrating traditional medicine into modern health care systems: examing the role of Chinese medicine in Taiwan. Soc. Sci. Med. 39, 307–321 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Fruehauf, H.: Chinese medicine in crisis. J. Chin. Med. 61, 1–9 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Taylor, K.: Divergent interests and cultivated misunderstanding: the influence of the west on modern Chinese medicine. Soc. Hist. Med. 17, 93–111 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Liu, L.: Considering Traditional Chinese Medicine (in Chinese). Guangxi Normal University, Guilin (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Zhong, H.: The patient-centered care and hospital marketing strategies. Manage. Obs. 10, 234–235 (2009). (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hu, G.: Take patient as the centre and provide premium services. Jiangsu Healthc. Ind. Manage. 20, 49–50 (2009). (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Steward, M.: Towards a global definition of patient centered care: the patient should be the judge of patient centered care. Br. Med. J. 322, 444–445 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Maizes, V., Rakel, D., Niemiec, C.: Integrative medicine and patient-centered care. Explore 5, 277–289 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Zhou, L., Nunes, M.: Identifying knowledge sharing barriers in the collaboration of traditional and western medicine professionals in Chinese hospitals: a case study. J. Libr. Inf. Sci. 44, 238–248 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Sun, C.: Research in communication of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine doctors. J. Nanjing Univ. Tradit. Chin. Med. 4, 6–9 (2003). (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Ma, X.: Between two worlds: the use of traditional and western health service by Chinese immigrants. J. Community Health 24, 421–437 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Sherman, K., Cherkin, D., Eisenberg, D., Erro, J., Hrbek, A., Deyo, R.: The practice of acupuncture: who are the providers and what do they do? Ann. Fam. Med. 3, 151–158 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Dally, A.: The Trouble with Doctors: Fashions, Motives and Mistakes. Robson Books, London (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Unschuld, P.: Medicine in China: a History of Ideas. The University of California Press, Los Angeles (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kaptchuk, T.: The Web that Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine. McGraw Hill, New York (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Chen, C.: Medicine in Rural China. University of California Press, Los Angeles (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Warrell, D., Cox, T., Firth, J.: Oxford Textbook of Medicine. Oxford University Press, New York (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Maciocia, G.: The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists. Churchill Livingstone, London (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Wang, X., Qiu, H., Liu, P., Cheng, Y.: A self-learning expert system for diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine. Expert Syst. Appl. 26, 557–566 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Fitzgerald, F.: Physical diagnosis versus modern technology - a review. West J. Med. 152, 377–382 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Goldman, L., Ausiello, D.: Cecil Medicine: An Expert Consult Title Online + Print. Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Ipe, M.: Knowledge sharing in organizations: a conceptual framework. Hum. Resour. Dev. Rev. 2, 337–359 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Abidi, S.: Healthcare knowledge sharing: purpose, practices, and prospects. In: Bali, R., Dwivedi, A. (eds.) Healthcare Knowledge Management: Issues, Advances, and Successes. Springer, New York (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Smith, R.: Information in practice. Br Med J 313, 1062–1068 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Fennessy, G., Burstein, F.: Role of information professionals as intermediaries for knowledge management in evidence-based healthcare. In: Bali, R., Dwivedi, A. (eds.) Healthcare Knowledge Management: Issues, Advances, and Successes. Springer, New York (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Guo, F.: Discussion of the theories of the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine. J. Exp. Clin. Med. 5, 408–409 (2006). (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Yang, Y.: Discussion of the integration of traditional chinese medicine and western medicine. China Foreign Med. J. 3, 84–86 (2005). (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Strauss, A., Corbin, J.: Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Sage Publications, London (1998)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This paper is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 71203165) and the Wuhan University Research Grant (Project No. 2012GSP076).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, China

    Lihong Zhou

  2. Information School, The University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello, Sheffield, S1 4DP, UK

    Miguel Baptista Nunes

Authors
  1. Lihong Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Miguel Baptista Nunes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miguel Baptista Nunes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ana Fred

  2. Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Jan L.G. Dietz

  3. Henley Business School, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom

    Kecheng Liu

  4. INSTICC, Setubal, Portugal

    Joaquim Filipe

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Zhou, L., Nunes, M.B. (2015). Mitigating Barriers to Healthcare Knowledge Sharing in the Collaboration of Traditional and Western Practitioners in Chinese Hospitals. In: Fred, A., Dietz, J., Liu, K., Filipe, J. (eds) Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management. IC3K 2013. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 454. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46549-3_21

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46549-3_21

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-46548-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-46549-3

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation