Below is the citation and abstract of a new paper in the open-access journal Global Health: Science and Practice.

CITATION: Leveraging the Power of Knowledge Management to Transform Global Health and Development

Tara M Sullivan, Rupali J Limaye, Vanessa Mitchell, Margaret D’Adamo, Zachary Baquet#

First published online April 27, 2015, doi: 10.9745/GHSP-D-14-00228

Glob Health Sci Pract April 27, 2015

http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/early/2015/04/22/GHSP-D-14-00228.full.pdf

ABSTRACT: Good knowledge is essential to prevent disease and improve health. Knowledge management (KM) provides a systematic process and tools to promote access to and use of knowledge among health and development practitioners to improve health and development outcomes. KM tools range from publications and resources (briefs, articles, job aids) and products and services (websites, eLearning courses, mobile applications), to training and events (workshops, webinars, meetings) and approaches and techniques (peer assists, coaching, after-action reviews, knowledge cafés).

SELECTED EXTRACTS from full text (selected by Neil PW)

‘By its very nature, global health and development work involves a multitude of actors working toward common goals that transcend geographic, sectoral, organizational, and financial boundaries. These efforts require immediate access to the latest research and know-how and demand optimal use of limited resources to achieve maximum impact. Knowledge management (KM) can improve coordination, enhance learning and knowledge application, and improve capacity, thus heightening service quality, strengthening health systems, and, ultimately, improving health and development outcomes.’

‘KM approaches and techniques such as peer assists (bringing together a group of peers to elicit feedback on a problem, project, or activity and draw lessons from the participants’ knowledge and experience), coaching, mentorship, storytelling, and online orface-to-face forums such as communities of practice, are KM tools that can assist in enhancing coordination, learning, and adaptation.’

‘Because knowledge management has been informed by and used within disciplines outside public health, there is a crucial need to consider how to apply KM tools and processes from other fields to global health. Public health practitioners must recognize that one of the primary intangible assets we possess is knowledge and that we all require knowledge to solve the world’s pressing global health problems. The management of that knowledge is paramount but has yet to be viewed as such.’

Best wishes

Neil

Let’s build a future where people are no longer dying for lack of healthcare knowledge – Join HIFA: www.hifa2015.org