This paper discusses a social and cognitive approach to the planning and implementation of knowledge support systems in a health care organization. A case study is presented and then discussed using a broad theoretical frame of reference gathered from the knowledge management field. The discussion is an illustration of the delicate trade-off between social and cognitive perspectives of a development project. The assumption is that these two aspects must be handled in an interconnected and balanced way. The aim of the paper is to illustrate the use of multiple perspectives as a tool for understanding how this problem can be dealt with.
Knowledge management, as an academic area, is maturing; however, there are still problems connected with both the diversity of the theoretical base and the gap between theory and its practical application. In this paper we tackle these problems by reviewing a number of basic knowledge management theories with the intention of formulating a more integrated and at the same time practical planning framework. The focus guiding the literature selection is on basic theories about the nature of knowledge management, theories that expose the complex nature of knowledge in organizations. We examine these theories and try to understand what could be perceived as the paradoxical nature of these theories. Here we understand a paradox as something seemingly self-contradictory though perhaps actually well-founded statement. We focus on four areas or themes: 1) knowledge as the key resource of a business, 2) knowledge as a competitive force and source of growth, 3) the nature of the management of a knowledge resource, and 4) the management of knowledge workers. From a practical point of view, the conflicting arguments of these theories can be seen as possible strategic options. Based on these discussions we then formulate a framework, or what might be called a strategic option generator. As a concluding discussion we focus on the contribution of IS/IT to the realization of the different possible strategic options. This is done on a rather general level, where we examine the possibilities of IS/IT in relation to the paradoxes.
This paper presents the experiences of setting up a knowledge triangle project in the software development field as an approach to teaching in the area of information systems and information technologies. The case includes an international dimension of the IT industry as it interconnects several countries. The cooperation between company and university is a pedagogical tool for creating an educational situation which conveys motivation and broad perspectives to the student. However, this brings in a number of problems and a generally higher level of complexity. This paper explores a case that illustrates the complexities and presents a generic model of a setup for a knowledge-triangle-based educational situation. Its model adopts an increasingly important aspect of IT education, namely how to prepare students for the globalized nature of the IT industry. The final discussion focuses on issues concerning the use of knowledge triangle thinking, including complexity, measurements, pedagogy and organization.
This report discusses information systems as support systems for knowledge workers. A case is presented discussing the introduction of two types of information systems into an organisation as support for knowledge workers. The case is interpreted using a set of theories from knowledge theory and the area of knowledge management. The aim of this report is to give empirical input to the understanding of the conditions of knowledge work and information systems. An interpretative framework is presented consisting of a set of perspectives on knowledge work and the use of information systems.
While living longer at home is the preferred option for the elderly, disease, accidents or general health decline might make this hard. Fall accidents, which are among the chief causes of unforced injury leading to hospitalization, must be viewed as a strong factor working against the possibilities for the elderly of living longer at home. Although many fall prevention programs have been developed and applied, and checklists and advice abound, most of these originate in the professional care area or depend on care professionals. In this paper, we present a fall prevention concept directed towards elderly people living at home, with the intention of providing a safer environment ensuring more years of doing this in a healthy manner. There are several obstacles for a successful implementation of fall prevention, many pending on the attitudes and thought systems of the elderly user community, including low risk awareness, technological stigmata, refusal to be associated with health problems and a general ânot for meâ world view. The paper presents an AI/IoT-driven learning environment for fall prevention which facilitates living independently and improved self-understanding to provide for easier everyday living. The central design idea is to lead the user through a learning process including acquiring knowledge of fall prevention, personal characteristics, taking fall prevention action and understanding the outcomes of changed behaviors. The concluding outcome is a discussion of a set of design variables for the effective implementation of fall prevention systems, including a holistic view of fall prevention and aging, open platform technologies, a flexible and adaptable module approach, feedback-based learning, IoT/sensor-driven learning, personalization and goal orientation and the dual use of technology avoiding technology stigmas.
Development of support systems in the area of e-health have different set of conditions that makes it more difficult than in other context of IS/IT use. In this research we explore a development case and look at the development process and the outcomes in terms of solutions. The research concerns the area of heart failure and how patients could be more successful with self-care. The outcome from the project was the creation of a portfolio of solutions, which was a combination of technical and process solutions. The outcome draws the attention to the need of flexible solutions and cater to the diversity of the patients and their personal situations. In the concluding discussion a set of design dimensions are presenting, representing difficult trade-offs that needs to be handled during the design process. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This paper presents a literature review of motivating factors for taking part in fall prevention activities among the elderly. The research aim is to improve the design and development of IT-based fall prevention programs for a deeper understanding of what motivates users to take part in such programs. Making fall prevention IT-based might improve the situation but might also become an obstacle in itself. To better ground this design process, a review is made of current efforts of fall prevention and of understanding motives for participation in fall prevention programs. As a result, we present a set of driving forces for the elderly to participate in fall prevention and discuss these in the context of technology acceptance theory, giving outlines for a model of motivating factors for them to use IT-based fall preventions systems. The results show a general direction of motivational efforts used in fall prevention to consist of some form of personalization strategy where, e.g., personal goals and conditions are used to adapt prevention measures to the individual.
Co-design, as a way of integrating users’perspectives and technical possibilities, has been subject to amultitude of interpretations. To facilitate the development ofpatient-empowerment services, co-design is a central approachneeded to ensure high acceptance among users. In thisresearch, we offer a flexible co-design approach by building onadaptive and continuous planning based on sets of co-designactions directed towards participants’ mutual learning. Theresearch is based on the experiences of a co-design processwithin the area of eHealth, specifically the fall prevention area,as a special case of self-training systems and self-managementsystems. The project team comprises a variety of membergroups, including the elderly, technical developers, businessdevelopers, methods experts and project management. The keysuccess factor was identified among the persons of the differentgroups as achieving possibilities for learning. To make learningprocesses requires adaptability and flexibility in interactingdifferent planning actions in order to balance both the need fortechnology development and the understanding of users’needs.
The purpose of this article is to provide a better understanding of an information systems development process from a learning theory perspective. The authors wish to investigate how learning concepts can improve the practice of developing such systems. They look closer at the activities and outcomes of a development project with the focus on the user side and how these can be understood using different theories from the field of learning. The purpose of the case project was to ensure that the intended users of the systems (in this case, heart failure patients) should be able to influence the choices made during the project so that the implemented system would benefit the whole group of patients. During this process, it became apparent that the users themselves developed and changed a great deal. In this research, the authors therefore wish to investigate the learning and change mechanism that came into play through the designed participative ISD process. As a result, they suggest that a learning mechanism should be planned for in any ISD process, regardless of what methodology is applied.
This paper investigates a learning model for its capabilities to improve the understanding of user learning during information systems design (ISD). We wish to explore the role of the ISD process as a learning process. Today, organizational design and development increasingly circulate around notions like ?organizational learning and ?organizational knowledge creation or is, in the general direction of organization, in a constant process of change. An information system could be the driver for new organizational routines or new produces, or the necessary component for realizing a new business strategy. The possible role of the information system might then be as a force for change or an obstacle, by the way it is used during its life time. Here we look at the development of the systems and how this process must reflect a high level of adaptation, learning and change in the user community. To add to the knowledge of ISD as a learning system we read a co-design-driven ISD case through the theory lens of Illeris (2007). We discuss the possibilities of designing an ISD process based on this learning theory and of creating users as well as an information system.
The quest for user friendly systems that fit into an organizational reality and yet stay competitive on a very crowded marketplace is a challenge. This report covers the setup of an eHealth project that faces challenges in all these areas, not least in the intersections between them. We discuss these challenges in the context of a research and development project, FRONT-VL, which is in its start-up phase, giving samples of problems and opportunities. The purpose of the paper is to problematize eHealth development and to provide initial insight into the planning and conduct of such projects.
Self-care is important for heart failure patients. However, what are the views of patients on their situation when it comes to realizing self-care? The aim of the paper is to investigate the self-care needs of HF patients, by understanding the issues they embrace in their self-care processes. In this paper we make a review of 17 interviews and make a classification of what the needs are for possible information technology support systems. Based on the analysis of these interviews, we identify the diversity of needs in support of activities related to different background conditions and the dynamics of change of learning and changes in the heart failure condition. The contribution of the paper is a framework for understanding the diversity of needs and the specific situations of this group of patients.
The paper deals with the planning of eHealth systems in the area of chronic care from a patient-centred perspective. The particular area is heart failure (HF) and systems that support patients’ possibilities to be active learners during the care processes. A better understanding of this process is hoped to create a basis for the development of appropriate information systems or information technology (IS/IT) support of learning processes. The objective of this paper is the development of a better understanding of the challenges of chronic illness with special focus on HF. The results are presented as a planning framework that guides the choice and design of ICT-based support systems.
In this paper the nature of user involvement in a co-design process will be explored. The outlines of a research project aiming at developing support systems for self-care inpatients suffering from chronic heart failure will be presented. The project is planned to perform a co-design effort where users (patients and healthcare professionals) will be given the opportunity to influence the development of support systems. We will discuss a number of possibilities and challenges that lie in the design of this kind of project and also some findings from its early stages. This report presents the experiences of users’ input, which are discussed in the context of previous research on benefits of user contributions in systems development.
Knowledge management is today an established approach to improve and renew organizations. The right use of information systems are often essential element in a successful KM strategy, however creating the right mix of KM activities and system is difficult and failures are frequent. Getting a good grip of the current situation and the special condition of the organization is therefore essential. In this paper we study an initiating questionnaire, taken from the KM literature, with a background in US management consulting industry. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the questionnaire, from a Swedish perspective. This is done with the aim to search for more general advice for anyone wanting to adapt and use such a questionnaire in their own situation. For this purpose, a number of applications of the questionnaire is presented and investigated. The outcome of the study is an initial assessment of the usefulness of the questionnaire and some recommendations for further use and research into the questionnaire. The usefulness seems to depend on the situation of persons that the questionnaire is given to. The analysis shows that the questionnaire seems to fit rather well to companies that were included in the study, especially on a management level. However, some possible problem areas were also discovered, the background, motivation and work situation of some personnel group could interfere with the effectiveness of the questionnaire.
Enterprises need to understand the impact of different types of knowledge management (KM) approaches on business strategy, and how they interact with other types of initiatives to produce synergistic effects. The hypothesis of this paper is that a model based on the balanced scorecard approach (BSC) can be used to balance the diverse set of KM approaches that are described in the KM literature. A literature study has been carried out connecting general examples of BSC objectives to KM approaches and applications. The resulting framework indicates that each of the major aspects of KM has its place in the BSC model, and thus has a role in the success of the company from a strategic viewpoint. A KM strategy according to this perspective should articulate how a company intends to strike a balance between different KM approaches. Contributions of the framework to related theory are discussed and illustrated by using a rich case from literature.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on carers’ experiences of being involved in the development of a web-based support programme for carers of people with heart failure (CPwHF), and discuss the challenges related to their involvement in the development process. The focus was on the different phases in the project as well as the methodological challenges and opportunities that occurred in the user group sessions conducted.
Design/methodology/approach – This research adopt an explorative design studying a co-design process to develop an information and communication technology based support programme for and with CPwHF. Habermas’ concepts of lifeworld and system are used as a theoretical framework to analyse the co-design process employed in the study.
Findings – Reflecting on the co-design approach adopted, the findings highlight the methodological challenges that arise with carer involvement and the possible tensions that occur between researchers’ ambitions to include users in the design process, and the goal of developing a product or service, in the different phases of the design process.
Originality/value – Findings highlight that there is a tension between the system and lifeworld in the co-design process which are not totally compatible. The paper highlights that there is a need to develop flexible and reflexive human-centred design methodologies, able to meet carers’ needs and ideas, and at the same time balance this with proposed research outcomes.
The rapid development of the possibilities of obtaining ubiquitous use of IT brings the digitalization of all processes, services and products to society at large. This development provides the opportunity of creating novel business models, reaching new market segments with novel products at cheaper/better and more targeted price levels. In this paper, we demonstrate the wide range of possibilities that are emerging with digitalization of a business environment in the e-health field, deriving from a process of digitalized business modelling. We discuss this approach by presenting a case of e-health in the form of an IoT solution for creating a safer home environment, and how it can be offered in different ways to its end users. The use of creative business modelling can thus be demonstrated to make emerging internet technologies available to broader segments of society. The ways that value networks interact and distribute incomes and costs create new methods of providing new services to new people, thus driving the digital transformation of society forward. The paper concludes with a set of principles for approaching creative business planning in a digitalized business reality with an e-health focus.
This paper deals with the planning of eHealth systems in the area of chronic care from a patient-centered perspective. The specific area is heart failure (HF) and systems that support patients’ possibilities to be active learners during the care processes and facilitate learning as a process of life style changes. Becoming better at self-care implies changes in lifestyle and the creation of a new identity. A better understanding of this process is intended to create a base for developing appropriate information systems or information technology (IS/IT) support for learning processes. The objective of this paper is the development of a better understanding of the challenges of self-care within chronic illnesses with special focus on HF. As a result, we present a set of issues that could guide the choice and design of ICT-based support systems.
A recent trend in health care is patient-centred health, but are health care organizations ready to cope with that change? Changes at the patient level are one aspect but there is a need for reshaping the organization of health care. There is a need to focus much more on prevention care, helping patients to cope and become better self-managers, focusing on the patient process, working together and empowering patients. The aim of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the lack of sustainability over time in two patient-centred care (PCC) projects by using actor network theory (ANT) as an analytical framework. We use case studies from heart fibrillation and heart failure care organizations in a Swedish county council. The cases concern initiatives to achieve better interactions for these patients and organize care to become more patient-centred. Both initiatives have now been partly abandoned in the organization, although research and guidelines recommend such care organizations. The analysis of the different actors dominating the translation process towards a PCC network and of the way they get together in networks reveals that this is a time-consuming process, taking place long after the initial training and PCC implementation activities. We discuss the temporality of stability, the reversible process with chimerical enrolments, and how a complex and changing environment demands constant re-problematization of PCC. We also include how the understanding of the translation and negotiation process can influence decisions on allocating sufficient time and resources to the process. We shed light on the importance of understanding and managing the organizational change in a PCC project and thus also of when to implement patient-centred e-health solutions.
This paper investigates driving forces and hinders for collaborative knowledge creation, and the influence of IT-support technologies. We look at the use of wikis in learning in situation and the problems and possibilities for support of learning processes. The focus is on organizational learning, however not many reports are to be found on this topic. To gain some initiating insight into how to support organizational learning we look at some evidence from education. An overview from past studies and some evidence from our own use of wikis are used as a base for suggestion for the possibilities of wikis. Some important problems to be addressed before launching a corporate wiki include are discussed.
This paper investigates the different logics of learning organization and a traditional command a control organization. A system that targets a learning process will also have to fit into the broader situation of that organization. The approach to this analysis is to compare the models for the different fields, in this case a VSM model of effective organizational maintain and control with the theory of “the knowledge creating company”. The outcome of this analysis outlines a number of perspectives where these two logics interacts and sometime collide. The conclusion is that a KM support tool/process not only have to fit into the learning and change process but also into the broader maintain and control systems of a company.
Heart failure seems inevitable as we grow older; even younger people succumb to its cruel onset. Finding solutions has kept medical researchers continually chasing ways to limit its effects. Yet much can be done in a proactive sense for patients with heart conditions that can be used to support patients in becoming reflective, empowered and active self-carers themselves. We investigated individual patient-centered case-studies, to understand how to best encourage people to become confident self-carers. We propose that a successful evaluation framework should consider the need for individual extensibility of effective human-computer interactive (HCI) healthcare solutions to design and build a proof-of-concept eLearning system that innovates quality eHealth education for self-care heart failure prevention.
Heart failure seems inevitable as we grow older; even younger people succumb to its cruel onset. Finding solutions has kept medical researchers continually chasing ways to limit its effects. Yet much can be done in a proactive sense for patients with heart conditions that can be used to support patients in becoming reflective, empowered and active self-carers themselves. In another project, Riegel, Jaarsma and Stromberg (2012) investigated individual patient-centered case-studies, to understand how to best encourage people to become confident self-carers (Aidemark, Askenas, Martensson, & Stromberg, 2013). We have drawn on these earlier works to design and build a proof-of-concept for a participatory eLearning system to innovate quality eHealth education for self-care heart failure prevention. The first task has been to develop an evaluation framework that represents the need for individual extensibility of effective online human-computer interactive (HCI) healthcare. Our plans are to use this framework to compare other online healthcare systems research. Critical to the success of this educational information system (IS) are the diversity of the system-users' that are raised by the human-dimensions of online healthcare. HCI archetypes will guide the user as they journey through key healthcare scenarios. Our main aim with this project is to provide a participatory online self-managed healthy heartcare programme. This paper describes our first project objective which is to test our evaluation framework.