Knowledge Management Research Projects

KM Model within the Context of Evidence Based Health Care

Funding:

Small ARC 2000

Chief Investigators:

A.Prof. Frada Burstien
A.Prof. Jeremy Anderson
Prof. Don Schauder

Student Investigators:

Ms Gabby Fennessy

Industry Partner:

This is a collaborative project involving Centre for Clinical Effectiveness (CCE) Southern Health, Monash Medical Centre

Aims:

Enhance the sharing and dissemination of knowledge through supporting acquisition, sharing and capture of health care best practices using modern information technologies;

Capture knowledge about areas of health care where there is inadequate research to support the idea of evidence based health care;

Develop ways of working within the CCE which are facilitated with the exploitation of appropriate technology.

The resulting system will be for the benefit of information providers who work in evidence based health care. The CCE has a wide skill mix of knowledge workers from clinical, public health and information backgrounds. Such workers are experts in searching, appraising and making sense of a huge body of evidence. They need to capture and share the knowledge they generate in process and also the meta-knowledge of evidence based practice.

Methodology

This research applies Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) within the context of action research in solving a knowledge management problem in a real world situation. The level of success in implementation of knowledge management initiatives is significantly dependent on the right balance of intervention and reflection on the current practices of the organisation. In this context SSM becomes a very valuable strategy for conducting practice-driven information research. This case study provides an example of how SSM can be used to understand complex situations and as problem solving strategy for knowledge management.

Data Collection

I have carried out a range of action research cycles, following steps outlined by Susman (1983)

• Diagnosing
• Action planning
• Action Taking
• Evaluating
• Specifying learning
  

Diagnosing relates to the process of knowledge audit, which is typical for any KM project. Action planning and taking requires formulating new organisational strategies of knowledge creation and sharing. Learning and reflection, as the results of the last two steps are seen as major outcomes for the participants involved. These last steps and the learning outcome, which often includes creating new knowledge, are the major focuses of KM practice. Susman, G (1983) Action research: a sociotechnical systems perspective In Beyond methods: strategies for social research (Morgan, G Ed) Newbry Park: Sage

For more information:

Ms Gabby Fennessy