This blog post originally appeared on the K4Health Blog on November 21, 2013.
Outside the Saadamoo Health Post in Holeta, in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia.
As shown in our Knowledge for Health (K4Health) needs assessment and network mapping study in Ethiopia, family planning (FP) providers at the local level need tailored, contextual information to use in their daily work (Harlan et al, 2013). They may be bombarded with information about FP policy, research results, and clinical practice—or, on the flipside, they may lack these materials completely. Finding the right balance is a key element of what some refer to as “social knowledge management” (SKM). SKM puts people at the center of knowledge exchange, and focuses on a systematic approach to continual learning that improves health outcomes. SKM can help not only with national-level systems—such as web portals and other tools to connect those who have access to this technology—but it can rely on social exchange and networks to encourage learning and sharing at the community level.
This blog post originally appeared on the Jacaranda Health Blog on November 18, 2013.
Lyndah & Richard, nurses, discuss the child wellness record
Medical records get a lot of buzz these days. In the past several years the United States Department of Health and Human Services has heavily incentivized private providers to convert paper medical records to electronic systems. Providers in the developing world are tempted with promises of record-keeping magic bullets in the form of handheld tablets, mobile phones, and tele-medicine. But the reality is that you can’t build good electronic records without knowing how to build good paper records in the first place. And most medical records are badly designed. Rarely do we talk about what makes a solid, useful medical record.
How do you thoroughly collect patient medical information while facilitating efficiency during the consultation? How do you empower low-income patients with their own files while retaining copies for yourself? How do you provide guidance to clinicians without making forms unwieldy? We spent the last few months at Jacaranda asking ourselves these precise questions as we redesigned our medical records.
After a two-year term, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (JHU·CCP)’s tenure as chair of the Global Health Knowledge Collaborative (GHKC) has come to an end. JHU·CCP has been honored to serve as organizational chair for the GHKC during this time, and we thank our members for their contribution to the task teams, GHKC products, webinars, and meetings.
Will you be attending the upcoming International Family Planning Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia? If so, please add the following knowledge management (KM) sessions to your schedule!
