Application of Knowledge Management in Solving Health Problems in the Hospital : Part 2 Control of Foodborne Botulism Outbreaks. - ตัวอย่างการใช้กระบวนการจัดการความรู้ในการ แก้ไขปัญหาสาธารณสุขในโรงพยาบาล: ตอน 2 การควบคุมการระบาดของโรคโบทูลิซัม

Abstract

Proper knowledge management (KM) can be very helpful in tackling health problems. This paper presents examples of KM usefulness for control of foodborne botulism outbreaks following consumption of home-canned bamboo shoots in Thailand. The processes, including knowledge identification, knowledge refinement, and knowledge sharing, were used to manage the outbreaks. Botulinum toxin could not be determined in the suspected bamboo shoots in the first outbreak due to laboratory limitation but was identified as the transmission source in the following three outbreaks. One of the 6 cases died in the first outbreak, 2 of the 13 cases in the second outbreak, and 2 of the 10 cases in the third outbreak. Although 163 cases contracted this disease in the forth outbreak, none of them died. This might be because of the tacit knowledge on disease management, prevention, and control among the health personnel solving this problem.

Continuous KM in solving any health problems can increase tacit knowledge among the health personnel and also explicit knowledge for possible use by those experiencing similar problems.