Process evaluation of implementing knowledge management tools in public health

Abstract

Translating formal and informal knowledge into public health (PH) action is essential given that PH professionals rely on up-to-date and context-specific information for effective programme planning, implementation, and evaluation. Knowledge management (KM) provides possible solutions to this challenge. We conducted an evaluation of a pilot implementation of four KM tools: (1) After Action Review; (2) Communities of Practice; (3) Peer Assist and; (4) Organizational Yellow Pages. The evaluation focused on fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability of the tools. Three main messages emerged from the study findings: (1) KM tools can be implemented in a PH context for the sharing of explicit and tacit knowledge, (2) enabling organizational environments were important for implementation, and (3) the provision of a facilitator during the implementation period was also important and appreciated by study participants.

Keywords:

• knowledge management
• tacit knowledge
• process evaluation
• facilitation
• public health

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anita Kothari

About the Author

Anita Kothari, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario. Her research areas are knowledge translation with community-based agencies, and public health systems.

Nina Hovanec, PhD(c), MPT, MSc (Health Promotion), is a community physiotherapist in Toronto and a doctoral candidate at Western University. Her main research interests include health promotion, chronic disease prevention and management, as well as knowledge translation considerations for primary care and public health contexts.

Shannon L Sibbald, Ph.D, is an Assistant Professor at Western University in the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health. As a health systems researcher, she is interested in the evaluation of teams and networks and the role of implementation science.

Lorie Donelle, RN, PhD, is an Associate Professor within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Western University in London, Ontario Canada and is jointly appointed to the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, and the School of Health Studies. She is also an associate researcher with the Lawson Health Research Institute. Dr. Donelle focuses her teaching and research interests on health promotion, (e)health literacy, and the use of information technology within healthcare.

Patricia Tucker, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy at Western University. Formerly, Dr. Tucker was a researcher within the public health system. Her main area of research is measuring and exploring physical activity among young children.