The Cure for Unhealthy Medical Knowledge Management

Many of today’s healthcare organizations still show symptoms of underdeveloped knowledge management processes. We want to offer symptoms that suggest your information management process might be lacking and ways to fix them.

Symptom #1

Healthcare and medical staff frequently use out of date or incorrect forms. This can be frustrating in any industry. Outdated documents can lead to duplicate work and unnecessary confusion, meaning healthcare professionals spend less time with patients and more time with paperwork.

Cure

Leverage technology to standardize all paperwork. Many modern solutions have functionality like automated form template updates, accessibility across devices and multiple user access options. When healthcare professionals can quickly locate and complete forms and other documentation, it means more time for patients and doctors.

Symptom #2

Doctors, nurses and technicians have trouble sharing what they learn. In the healthcare industry, each individual in the workplace has a wealth of unique knowledge they carry with them. From processes for interacting with patients to procedures for storing sensitive medical equipment, this information is vital and necessary to operations.

Cure

If your staff shows signs of the above, it’s time to evaluate your current knowledge management system. Healthcare institutions can implement engagement strategies that educate, promote and reward the sharing of information. A modern healthcare organization that isn’t striving to offer the most efficient, pervasive knowledge sharing process is doing itself a disservice.

Symptom #3

The IT department says there’s an unhealthy security protocol. Medical facilities house more personal and identifiable information than any industry, so information leaks can be devastating. When information is compromised, the facility could lose its good standing with patients – not to mention the potential loss of license and certifications.

Cure

Vet all data and knowledge solution providers. If IT raises concerns about any aspect of your knowledge or document sharing system, it’s critical you immediately investigate and double-check all best practices. Additionally, have critical and informed conversations with any vendor who supplies knowledge sharing tools – if they can’t provide a comprehensive overview of their security strategies and protocols, it could be time to choose another solution.

Conclusion

Don’t let any of the above ailments keep your staff from continuous learning or simply dealing with bad document management practices. Every second spent searching for paperwork or tracking down a coworker for protocols is a second not spent with the patient.