Thesis:

Effect of knowledge management practices on the performance of healthcare services in Mandera county

The general objective is to examine the effect of knowledge management practices on the performance of healthcare services in Mandera County. Specific objectives were to determine the effect of knowledge creation, to establish the effect of knowledge filtering and to examine the effect of knowledge assimilation and application on the performance of healthcare services in Mandera County. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The study population involved all the public health facilities including division heads and heads of specific departments in Mandera county. The study targeted a population of two hundred and sixty-four (264) respondents from different departments. Due to the small number of the targeted population, the study employed a census approach. This research utilized structured and unstructured questionnaires to collect primary data. The data collected was taken through cleaning, validation and editing to ensure that they are accurate, uniform, consistent and complete. Statistical package for social science (SPSS) was then used to ascertain normality using Shapirowilk Test and then to generate inferential and descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics were employed in the determination of adoption of knowledge management practices. Multiple regression analysis was then used in the determination of how knowledge management practices affect the performance of healthcare services in Mandera County. The findings were presented using tables and graphs. The study concluded that knowledge management practices significantly affect the performance of healthcare facilities in Mandera County. The study found out that knowledge management practices were moderately adopted and had a significant effect on the performance of healthcare facilities in Mandera County, as given by p<0.05. The implication was that effective implementation of knowledge management practices would lead to improved healthcare performance of healthcare facilities in Mandera County. The study also concluded that there is a strong positive correlation between knowledge management practices and the performance of healthcare facilities in Mandera County. The adjusted R2 leads to a conclusion that knowledge management practices account for 70.3% of changes in performance of healthcare facilities. This further implies that 29.7% of variations in healthcare facilities in Mandera County were not due to knowledge management practices. The study recommended that hospitals should promote the use of state-of-the-art solutions for knowledge exchange, capture, and creation to improve the performance of their employees and their knowledge management capabilities. A knowledge management system also ought to be set up in healthcare facilities. The premise is that knowledge development and ongoing innovation are necessary for bettering healthcare facilities. Therefore, through effective channels for knowledge sharing, healthcare facilities should develop a knowledge management system and enhance their capacity for knowledge generation. The study also suggests that healthcare facilities should hold private tutorials on their intranet to teach their staff about important topics.