Mediating knowledge across health ecosystems: a qualitative field study

Abstract

Purpose Knowledge sharing across health ecosystems is extremely fuzzy because of knowledge asymmetries, barriers and diverse types and sources of knowledge, all of which together affect patient decision making and value creation. The purpose of this study is to identify core knowledge mediators across ecosystem with the focus on a patient as a central decision maker in their own health management to ensure smooth knowledge flows across actors. Design/methodology/approach To understand the knowledge flows in the health ecosystem, a phenomenological approach was applied in this study. Based on case study research. The analysis is based on the patient-centric approach and draws on qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Moreover, a knowledge-creating community approach (Paavola et al., 2004) is applied in which various stakeholders create and share knowledge of clinical and social domain, which together contribute to patient value creation. Findings Knowledge socialization and development starts within very close and trusted community members. Trust, validity, reliability and responsibility of knowledge have emerged as full mediators for knowledge absorption. Thus, health communities and knowledge ecosystems need safe places for “unverified” knowledge to ensure that the important trends and unresolved questions are not missed. Originality/value This study proposes a new health knowledge management approach for communities, which is more than clinical decisions and formal medical knowledge and embraces varieties of knowledge and information sources and types. At the end, the identified barriers and mediators can be used for serving the main goal of patient value increase because it responds to the need for a systematic approach in encouraging patients to play a more active role in their own health management.