Informal versus formal knowledge: IT development in health care

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Sociology of Technology
• Knowledge Management

Background:

• Sustainable operation of healthcare IT systems relies on integrating diverse knowledge sources.
• Informal, situated knowledge held by healthcare workers significantly impacts their performance.
• Existing IT system design often overlooks the value of informal knowledge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the importance of recognizing informal knowledge in healthcare IT.
• To analyze indigenous knowledge as a subset of informal knowledge, linking it to social and cultural capital.
• To recommend a participatory approach for involving healthcare staff in IT system design.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of informal knowledge, indigenous knowledge, social capital, and cultural capital.
• Literature review on user participation in IT system design within healthcare.
• Proposal of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methods.

Main Results:

• Informal situated knowledge is vital for individual healthcare worker performance.
• Indigenous knowledge, social capital, and cultural capital are key components of informal knowledge.
• Participatory Learning and Action offers a viable framework for integrating staff knowledge into IT design.

Conclusions:

• Equal recognition of informal and formal knowledge is essential for sustainable healthcare IT.
• User participation, especially leveraging informal knowledge, enhances IT system design and implementation.
• Participatory Learning and Action methods provide a practical approach to achieve effective IT system co-design in healthcare.