Abstract
Background. Effective and efficient sharing of knowledge in health care can lead to the clarification of health data and dissemination of up-to-date health information among employees, decision-makers, and other stakeholders, thereby improving the probability of occurrence of desirable health outcomes. The current study aimed to identify the determinants of effective knowledge management and sharing in healthcare.
Methods. This study was conducted to identify the facilitators and barriers of knowledge sharing in healthcare and also identify successful strategies in this field using the approach of review studies in 2023. A thorough literature review was conducted using relevant keywords in PubMed, Scopus, and SID databases and the Google Scholar search engine. Data extraction was done by two researchers using the data extraction table. The content analysis method was used to analyze the data.
Results. Reviewing 21 studies revealed 176 determinants of knowledge management and sharing in healthcare organizations. Among the determining factors, 96 were facilitators, and 80 were barriers to knowledge sharing. After removing duplicate factors and merging similar cases, 54 facilitators and 55 barriers were obtained uniquely. The determining factors were classified into four categories: organizational factors, infrastructure factors, individual factors, and factors related to the information system. Also, 35 effective strategies for knowledge management in healthcare organizations were identified, the most important of which was related to the empowerment of managers in information technology (IT).
Conclusion. The success of knowledge sharing in healthcare requires a strong IT infrastructure, supportive leadership, an organizational culture that governs knowledge development, commitment and cooperation among healthcare team members, and effective knowledge management.
Extended Abstract
Background
Healthcare organizations are gradually becoming a knowledge-based structure and rely on knowledge management to improve health service delivery through knowledge sharing. A correct and better understanding of the knowledge management process can help increase productivity, better coordination, and effective decision-making. Knowledge sharing in healthcare organizations is affected by various factors. The awareness of service providers and patients, the desire to share information, access to appropriate information technology (IT), the opportunity to share, and the internal and external motivations of healthcare workers are among the most important factors that affect knowledge management and sharing methods. Using the right data and information in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and the correct use of health information in education and community empowerment can improve the realization of health goals. This improvement is because of the benefits of the knowledge management and dissemination system. This study aimed to identify the factors that influence knowledge dissemination and the most important strategies used for knowledge dissemination. The use of this evidence can improve the efficiency of current information systems and help health managers and policymakers make the right decisions.
Methods
This review study was conducted to investigate the determinants of knowledge sharing in the field of healthcare and identify the most important and effective strategies in knowledge sharing in 2023. This study was conducted according to the method of review studies by using related keywords in internal and external databases. Scopus and PubMed foreign databases and the Iranian SID database were used to search using the following keywords and their Persian equivalents. Also, the sources of the selected studies were manually reviewed to identify similar and related studies. The keywords included Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Managing, Determinant Factors, Affecting Factors, Facilitators, Barrier, Health, Health Care, and Health System. After the initial identification of studies, one researcher screened the studies based on the title and abstract. In the next step, the full text of the studies was reviewed by two researchers according to the inclusion criteria. Data extraction was done according to the data extraction table by two researchers. The data extraction table included authors' names, year of article publication, country, type of study, field of study, purpose, facilitating factors, barriers, and knowledge-sharing strategies. For data analysis, the content analysis method was used to identify, analyze, and report the contents of the text (themes). This technique is very useful in qualitative data analysis.
Results
Among the determining factors, 96 were identified as facilitators and 80 as barriers to knowledge management and sharing. After removing duplicate factors and merging similar cases, 54 facilitators and 55 barriers were obtained uniquely. Determinants of knowledge management and sharing in healthcare organizations were classified into four categories: organizational, infrastructural, individual, and factors related to the information system. Among the studies identified in the first stage of the search, finally, 21 studies were selected for full-text review. Among the studies, 5 studies of knowledge management and 16 studies of knowledge sharing in healthcare organizations were investigated.
Conclusion
Knowledge management and sharing in healthcare organizations is affected by various factors such as organizational factors, individual factors, infrastructural factors and information systems. The success of knowledge sharing in this area requires a strong IT infrastructure, an organizational culture governing knowledge development, commitment and cooperation among members of the treatment team, . In addition, facilitators such as policy makers and managers should be aware of the importance of encouraging the creation and facilitation of knowledge sharing processes and act to support these processes in healthcare organizations.