Quality care of patients requires the evaluation of considerable amounts of data at the right time and right place and in the correct context. These clinical, administrative and operational sources of data are typically kept in separate and disparate operational repositories. With the advent of the electronic health record, these data warehouses will provide data and information at the point of care and provide for a continuous learning environment in which lessons learned can provide updates to clinical, administrative and financial processes. What becomes critical in such a context is the identification of relevant data, pertinent information and germane knowledge to support rapid and superior healthcare decision making. Given the advancement of the information tools and techniques of todays knowledge economy, it is imperative that these tools and techniques be appropriately utilized to enable and facilitate the identification and evaluation these knowledge assets. To do this effectively and efficiently it is imperative that healthcare incorporates the principles of Knowledge Management (KM).
The Healthcare Knowledge Management Primer explores and explains the nature of essential KM principles in healthcare settings in an introductory and easy to understand fashion. Accessibility and usability in this manner will be of use to both students and professionals wishing to learn more about the key aspects of the KM field as it pertains to effecting superior healthcare delivery. This book provides readers with an understanding of approaches to KM by examining the purpose and nature of its key components. It demystifies the KM field by explaining in anaccessible manner the key concepts of KM tools, strategies and techniques, and their benefits to contemporary healthcare organizations. This text demonstrates how, with practice and understanding, its key precepts can be appropriately applied to the domain of healthcare.