Using Knowledge Management and the Internet to Support Evidence Based Practice: A Medical Case Study

Evidence based medicine (EBM) is a discipline which synthesises research findings on the effectiveness of medical treatments to support clinical decision making. To make a practical difference, this information needs to be disseminated and used in everyday clinical practice. This paper describes a highly successful knowledge management project, which uses the Internet to make the latest medical evidence available at the point of care. We describe how the project was implemented, its organisational impact, success factors and barriers encountered. The theoretical significance of this work is that this is one of the first empirical studies of a knowledge management project in the public sector. The practical significance of this study is that it provides a model for other similar organisations to follow in implementing such a project.