How can knowledge exchange portals assist in knowledge management for evidence-informed decision making in public health?

Abstract

BackgroundKnowledge exchange portals are emerging as web tools that can help facilitate knowledge management in public health. We conducted a review to better understand the nature of these portals and their contribution to knowledge management in public health, with the aim of informing future development of portals in this field.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted of the peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify articles that described the design, development or evaluation of Knowledge Exchange Portals KEPs in the public health field. The content of the articles was analysed, interpreted and synthesised in light of the objectives of the review.ResultsThe systematic search yielded 2223 articles, of which fifteen were deemed eligible for review, including eight case studies, six evaluation studies and one commentary article. Knowledge exchange portals mainly included design features to support knowledge access and creation, but formative evaluation studies examining user needs suggested collaborative features supporting knowledge exchange would also be useful. Overall web usage statistics revealed increasing use of some of these portals over time; however difficulties remain in retaining users. There is some evidence to suggest that the use of a knowledge exchange portal in combination with tailored and targeted messaging can increase the use of evidence in policy and program decision making at the organisational level.ConclusionsKnowledge exchange portals can be a platform for providing integrated access to relevant content and resources in one location, for sharing and distributing information and for bringing people together for knowledge exchange. However more performance evaluation studies are needed to determine how they can best support evidence-informed decision making in public health.

IT‐based clinical knowledge management in primary health care: A conceptual framework

“…A second form of e‐learning capability is called e‐training, that is, the ability of the medical practice to provide Web‐based support for the continuing medical education of its physicians and nurses (Baker, Kamke, O'Hara, & Stuart, ; Casebeer et al, ; Chu & Robey, ; Robson, ; Samuelson et al, ; Stoner, Mikko, & Carpenter, ). The third and final form is called e‐collaboration, which consists in the ability to use Web‐based applications to create, integrate, and share clinical knowledge with other primary health care providers and stakeholders (Bassi, Lau, Hagens, Leaver, & Price, ; Paul, ; Quinn, Huckel‐Schneider, Campbell, Seale, & Milat, ), including the ability to participate in Web 2.0 virtual communities of practice (Mendizabal, Nuño‐Solinis, & González, ).…”

“…The third and final form is called e-collaboration, which consists in the ability to use Web-based applications to create, integrate, and share clinical knowledge with other primary health care providers and stakeholders (Bassi, Lau, Hagens, Leaver, & Price, 2013;Paul, 2006;Quinn, Huckel-Schneider, Campbell, Seale, & Milat, 2014), including the ability to participate in Web 2.0 virtual communities of practice (Mendizabal, Nuño-Solinis, & González, 2013).…”

Organizational supports used by private child and family serving agencies to facilitate evidence use: a mixed methods study protocol

“…For example, in some clinical settings, knowledge broker positions (i.e., intermediaries accountable for encouraging knowledge use) have successfully been used to support evidence-informed decision-making [24]. Ties to opinion leaders and researchers outside of the organization [25, 26], a supportive technical infrastructure [27, 28] and an organizational climate that rewards evidence use [24, 29] have also been identified as affecting evidence use.…”

A five-step approach for stakeholder engagement in prioritisation and planning of environmental evidence syntheses

“…To minimise that risk, EviEM strives to arrange stakeholder meetings in different parts of Sweden. Another way could be to develop web-based solutions such as e-participation tools and online platforms for knowledge exchange [44]. EviEM has not yet explored such solutions, but on several occasions during the review process, EviEM provides opportunities for stakeholders to engage and send their comments via email.…”