Aged care informatics: exploring the role of information, knowledge and aged care management

Abstract

Aged care is projected to be the fastest-growing sector within health and community care industries Strengthening the care-giving workforce, compliance, delivery and technology is not only vital to our social infrastructure and improving the quality of care, but also has the potential to drive long-term economic growth and contribute to the GDP. This paper examines the role of knowledge management (KM) in aged care organizations to assist in the delivery of aged care. With limited research related to KM in aged care, this paper advances knowledge and offers a unique view of KM from the perspective of 22 aged care stakeholders. Using in-depth interviewing, this paper explores the definition of knowledge in aged care facilities, the importance of knowledge planning, capture and diffusion for accreditation purposes and offers recommendations for the development of sustainable knowledge management practice and development. The paper culminates in an offering a checklist for aged care facilities and advances the discourse in this sector.