Authors:
Lihong Zhou
1
;
Miguel Baptista Nunes
2
and
Wenwen Liu
3
Affiliations:
1
Wuhan University, China
;
2
The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
;
3
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
Keyword(s):
Chinese Hospitals, Knowledge Sharing, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Western Medicine, Patient-centred Healthcare.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Artificial Intelligence
;
Communication, Collaboration and Information Sharing
;
KM Strategies and Implementations
;
Knowledge Management and Information Sharing
;
Knowledge-Based Systems
;
Symbolic Systems
Abstract:
This paper reports a research study that aims to mitigate and overcome barriers to the sharing of patient-centred knowledge in the interprofessional collaboration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine (WM) professionals in Chinese hospitals. This research adopted a Grounded Theory (GT) approach as the overarching methodology to guide the analysis of the data collected in a single case-study design. A public hospital in central China was selected as the case-study site, at which 49 informants were interviewed by using semi-structured and evolving interview scripts. Through the analysis of the interview data using GT analysis methodology, 11 KS barriers emerged. With a further conceptualisation of the KS barriers identified, it became clear that KS is mainly hindered by philosophical and professional tensions between TCM and WM practitioners. Therefore, in order to improve KS and mitigate the two types of interprofessional tensions, three strategies are proposed ba
sed on the findings of this study, namely: (1) formalising KS processes and exploring effective communication channels; (2) establishing specific interprofessional training schemes and programmes; (3) eliminating imbalances of professional power and statues and creating conducive KS environment.
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