The exploration of challenges in clinical knowledge management in nurses: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Clinical knowledge management (CKM) is considered as a dominant approach for information managementand expansion of knowledge in clinical settings. Health care executives have recently begun to focus on CKM. Therefore, identificationof challenges against proper CKM planning is of paramount importance. The aim of this study was to explore challenges in clinicalknowledge management in nurses.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted at four teaching hospitals in Tehran, Saqqez and Mahabad, Iran through 24 semi-structuredinterviews with 18 nurses, head nurses and nursing supervisors. Data analysis was performed using conventional content analysis.Results: In this study, three main themes emerged from data analysis. The main theme was “organizational culture of less attention tothe creation and dissemination of knowledge in nurses”, which was due to poor scientific interactions between clinical and academicsettings. Other factors involved in this theme were disregard of research in job description of nurses, authoritarian management inresearch centers, inadequate support and reward from medical officials, and non-observance of research in the evaluation of nurses.Another theme was “poor scientific documentation in nursing”, which was due to lack of awareness on the significance of clinical ideas,and proper dissemination of nursing knowledge. Finally, the main theme of “hardness of working conditions” represented high workpressure and lack of opportunity for research among nurses.Conclusion: It is suggested that nursing managers consider the improvement of organizational culture in strategic plans proposed bythe Ministry of Health, in addition to reducing work pressure for nurses. Furthermore, scientific promotion of nursing practice shouldbe taken into account through implementation and documentation of useful and relevant workshops.