Knowledge in Transition in Healthcare

Evaluating Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing Among Health Care Professionals in the Medical Imaging Departments of 2 Cancer Centers: Concurrent Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

Knowledge sharing is a crucial part of any knowledge management implementation. It refers to sharing skills and experience among team members in an organization. In a health care setting, sharing knowledge, whether tacit or explicit, is important and can lead to better health care services. In medical imaging departments, knowledge sharing can be of particular importance. There are several factors that affect knowledge-sharing practices in medical imaging departments: individual, departmental, and technological. Evaluating the importance of these factors and understanding their use can help with improving knowledge-sharing practices in medical imaging departments.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess the level of motivation, identify current knowledge-sharing tools, and evaluate factors affecting knowledge sharing in the medical imaging departments of 2 cancer centers, The Christie, United Kingdom, and the Kuwait Cancer Control Center (KCCC).

METHODS

A concurrent mixed methods study was conducted through nonprobability sampling techniques between February 1, 2023, and July 30, 2023. Semistructured interviews were used to validate the results of the quantitative analysis. Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire that was distributed among health care professionals in both cancer centers using Qualtrics. Semistructured interviews were conducted online using Microsoft Teams. The quantitative data were analyzed using the Qualtrics MX software to report the results for each question, whereas the qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach with codes classified through NVivo.

RESULTS

In total, 56 respondents from the KCCC and 29 from The Christie participated, with a 100% response rate (56/56, 100% and 29/29, 100%, respectively) based on the Qualtrics survey tool. A total of 59% (17/29) of health care professionals from The Christie shared their knowledge using emails and face-to-face communication as their main tools on a daily basis, and 57% (32/56) of health care professionals from the KCCC used face-to-face communication for knowledge sharing. The mean Likert-scale score of all the components that assessed the factors that affected knowledge-sharing behaviors fell between "somewhat agree" and "strongly agree" in both centers, excepting extrinsic motivation, which was rated as "neither agree nor disagree." This was similar to the results related to incentives. It was shown that 52% (15/29) of health care professionals at The Christie had no incentives to encourage knowledge-sharing practices. Therefore, establishing clear policies to manage incentives is important to increase knowledge-sharing practices.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offered an evaluation of factors that affect knowledge sharing in 2 cancer centers. Most health care professionals were aware of the importance of knowledge-sharing practices in enhancing health care services. Several challenges were identified, such as time constraints, a lack of staff, and the language barrier, which limit knowledge-sharing practices. Therefore, establishing a clear policy for knowledge sharing is vital to practicing knowledge-sharing behaviors and facing any challenges that limit this practice.

Physical Activity in Cancer Rehabilitation and Technology Acceptance: Results From the "Oncology in Motion" Project

Aims

The international literature underlines that physical activity has a role in preventing cancer and is beneficial for cancer recovery and rehabilitation. Therefore, patient education is essential to stimulate training. Telemedicine and e-health tools like apps and wearables can support patients' education and the monitoring of their health condition and progress.

Methods

The article reports the results of the Oncology in Motion telemedicine program of the National Cancer Institute of Aviano, Italy, to provide breast cancer patients with a personalized fitness path and telemonitoring.

Results

144 women took part in the program. Low adherence was recorded, performing the customized training schedule and, for those women sticking to the plan, using the technological devices and submitting the training data to the Institute.

Conclusion

Low technology acceptance and literacy, laziness, and lack of collaboration between cancer centers stood among the causes of low adherence, calling for more comprehensive and effective educational programs and support to stimulate physical activity and the use of new devices to get personalized counseling and contribute to the creation of knowledge.

Is motherhood still possible after pelvic carbon ion radiotherapy? A promising combined fertility-preservation approach

INTRODUCTION

Preserving the endocrine and reproductive function in young female cancer patients undergoing pelvic radiation is a significant challenge. While the photon beam radiation's adverse effects on the uterus and ovaries are well established, the impact of pelvic carbon ion radiotherapy on women's reproductive function is largely unexplored. Strategies such as oocyte cryopreservation and ovarian transposition are commonly recommended for safeguarding future fertility.

METHODS

This study presents a pioneering case of successful pregnancy after carbon ion radiotherapy for locally advanced sacral chondrosarcoma.

RESULTS

A multidisciplinary approach facilitated the displacement of ovaries and uterus before carbon ion radiotherapy, resulting in the preservation of endocrine and reproductive function.

CONCLUSION

The patient achieved optimal oncological response and delivered a healthy infant following the completion of cancer treatment.

Practical Strategies and Tools for Use by Occupational and Environmental Medicine Departments During COVID-19 Pandemic Surges

OBJECTIVES

Occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) departments in healthcare institutions can be quickly overwhelmed when COVID-19 infection rates rapidly and simultaneously increase in the workforce and the patients served. Our goal is to present a detailed toolkit of practical approaches for use by front-line OEM specialists to address workforce management tasks during pandemic surges.

METHODS

Specific focus is on tasks related to employee symptom triage, exposure risk assessment, workplace contact tracing, and work restrictions.

RESULTS

Tools include strategies used by customer call centers, two decision support algorithms (exposure due to cohabitation or non-cohabitation), a color-coded employee case tracking tool, a contact tracing protocol, and documentation templates that serve as memory aids for encounters.

CONCLUSIONS

These tools are created with commonly used software. Implementation is feasible in most front-line OEM settings, including those with limited resources.