Can Knowledge Management Be Implemented in the Teaching of Medical Sciences?

Abstract

Universities play a vital role in social progress. Knowledge management (KM) is a kind of process which transforms data into knowledge and knowledge into capital. The aim of this paper is to investigate the use of KM in the field of education of medical sciences in order to help educators and students benefit from the knowledge present in the field of health sciences in a more meaningful and informed way.

To achieve the aim of this narrative review, the related Persian and English literature sources were carefully examined; first, the Internet and other data bases were searched for articles containing one or more of the following key words: knowledge, knowledge management, medical science and higher education. Then, the related articles were quickly scanned and useful information was extracted. The selected parts of the text were carefully studied and summarized by two researchers. After gaining a thorough comprehension of the subject, its different dimensions and aspects were described and compared.

As a process, the goal of KM in the field of medical sciences is to motivate the creation, sharing, storing and utilization of knowledge. Knowledge creation occurs by continually transforming tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge and vice versa. KM can be implemented in different areas of medical science including clinical practice. Knowledge managements system (KMS) plans are used to provide high quality, high value cost-effective care in medical science. Critical factors that influence the success of the implementation of KM in the field of medical education include culture, leadership and appropriate substructure. KM can be implemented for the development of medical education. KM is a tool which makes education and its practice intellectual, high quality and affordable. Implementation of KM is recommended in the field of medical education for effective health care delivery.