Knowledge Management for Public Health

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Knowledge management (KM) provides a systematic approach to ensure that public health practitioners have access to the latest research and that they apply that research to public health programs at all levels of the health system—from the global, regional, and national levels down to the front lines. KM is an intentional process that includes identifying the knowledge needs of a particular audience and then generating, curating, and sharing relevant knowledge to help programs and organizations succeed.

Public health organizations that adopt KM strategies and practices can improve performance of health care workers and programs and contribute to reaching the end goal of improving health outcomes among communities. Using KM, public health programs can:

  • Promote collaboration and learning
  • Inform policy and advocacy
  • Improve programs, practice, and research
  • Enhance health training and education programs

KM programs are supported by three key components: people, processes, and technology.

  • People generate, store, and share knowledge and can help cultivate an environment that encourages knowledge sharing and use of KM systems.
  • Processes are the methods used to capture, curate, and share knowledge. These formal and informal processes must be embraced and integrated into an organization’s daily work flow to be most successful.
  • Use of technology that is appropriate to the context can expedite knowledge storage, retrieval, and exchange.

KM has particular relevance for low- and middle-income country settings. It can address human resource issues related to retaining organizational knowledge and can provide mechanisms for purposefully exchanging needed knowledge in real time. Implementing a KM system can ensure that relevant health knowledge—data, research findings, best practices, programmatic guidance—flows up and down the health system, from national to district to community levels and back up again. KM approaches also facilitate the exchange of information across a given level of the health system, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of public health programs.

To learn more about how to integrate KM into your program:

 

  • Event
    June 20, 2012 (All day) to June 22, 2012 (All day)
    Baltimore, MD. USA

    Knowledge Management for Public Health Course

    This course introduces participants to and demystifies jargon behind Knowledge Management (KM), an intentional process that includes capturing, storing, organizing, and exchanging knowledge to better inform decision-making and to improve public health outcomes. In the context of public health, introduces KM as a systematic approach to ensure that the latest research is accessible and applied to public health practice.

  • Event
    June 19, 2012 (All day) to June 20, 2012 (All day)
    Washington, DC. USA

    Mobilizing Knowledge Networks for Development

    The goal of the workshop is to explore ways to become better providers and connectors of knowledge in a world where the sources of knowledge are increasingly diverse and disbursed.Come and explore the web of networks of development practitioners, academics, and policy makers.  Find out why these networks are so vital for change agents all over the world in their quest for solutions to the challenging development issues facing our various clients.   

  • Blog post
    May 09, 2012

    Changing the Conversation about Technology in Development: Report from SwitchPoint 2012

    On April 20, 2012, I attended IntraHealth’s first annual conference on innovation and global health, SwitchPoint 2012. It was a reinvigorating experience! The focus wasn’t on all the global health problems in the world and boiling people down to statistics, but rather on the potential for true co-created solutions – with all of the technological improvements, possibilities, and cultural shifts throughout the world.

    Knowledge Management
    Community Participation
  • Event
    October 17, 2012 (All day) to October 19, 2012 (All day)
    Washington, DC, USA

    KM World 2012

    KMWorld 2012 provides you with all the essential pieces of the information engine that powers your enterprise—including knowledge creation, publishing, sharing, finding, mining, reuse and more, which work together to enable business problem-solving, innovation, and achievement. Position your organization and its knowledge ecology for success by attending KMWorld 2012, where you network with experts and peers all working to make the most out of their knowledge assets. Gain insights for maximizing your human capital and building a knowledge driven organization.

  • Event
    September 14, 2012 (All day)
    Washington, DC, USA

    Global Health Mini-University

    The Mini-University is an annual forum that brings together professionals working in a variety of Global Health areas for a day long event that offers a variety of presentations highlighting evidence-based best practices and state-of-the-art information.The forum is divided into hour-long blocks, each offering a variety of concurrent presentations from technical areas like HIV/AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, health systems, and cross-cutting issues.In addition to gaining access to technical knowledge, participants are also able

  • Blog post
    April 25, 2012

    Some Misconceptions About Knowledge Management

    In 2012, the second edition of the Knowledge Management Handbook: Collaboration and Social Networking (J. Liebowitz, Ed.) and the second edition of Knowledge Management: Theory and Practice (K. Dalkir) will be published.  In spite of these second editions and many other knowledge management articles and books that have been published over the years, misconceptions about knowledge management (KM) still accrue.  What are they and why is this so?

  • Blog post
    April 23, 2012

    Global Health Council to Close Operations

    On April 13, the Global Health Council (GHC) surprised the development community when it cancelled its 2012 conference, an annual event that was an important milestone on the calendar for thousands of development professionals. But even more shocking was the announcement on April 20 that the Global Health Council will close operations within the coming months.

    Global Health Council
    Mini-University
    Knowledge Management
  • Blog post
    April 12, 2012

    Knowledge Creation: Is it Undervalued?

    The flow of reproductive health information has been greatly influenced in recent years by knowledge management approaches. In a world of information overload, KM seeks to deliver the right information to the right people at the right time. This “avoiding information overload” strategy—while useful in many contexts—has had, in my opinion, an undesirable side effect: It undervalues the creation of new knowledge. Many KM efforts focus on the organization, adaptation and sharing of existing knowledge, to the exclusion of guiding and nurturing new knowledge.

  • Publications & Resources
    April 09, 2012

    K4Health Malawi Project Overview (1-page fact sheet)

    The K4Health Malawi Pilot Project brought relevant, evidence-based information and best practices to health care professionals in Malawi. The project was implemented at the national level and in Salima and Nkhotakota districts from January 2010 – December 2011. This one-page fact sheet provides a brief summary of the goal of the project, describes key activities, and identifies project results. 

  • Publications & Resources
    April 09, 2012

    K4Health Malawi Project Overview (4-page brief)

     

    The K4Health Malawi Pilot Project brought relevant, evidence-based information and best practices to health care professionals in Malawi. The project was implemented at the national level and in Salima and Nkhotakota districts from January 2010 – December 2011. This four-page brief provides an overview of the goals and objectives of the project, describes key intervention areas and activities, and identifies project results. 

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