#KNOWvember22 - Sharing Knowledge breaking down the barriers

Each year, as the leaves fall from the trees, we provide space and time to think about the important work knowledge and library specialists do to mobilise evidence and knowledge. We reiterate the need for evidence from research to be used to underpin all healthcare decision making. We also highlight the need to use learning from good practice and encourage ‘know-how’ and organisational knowledge to be shared and used, to inform improved care outcomes. This year the theme for #KNOWvmber22 is Sharing Knowledge – Breaking Down the Barriers and our focus is on how knowledge and library specialists contribute to sharing knowledge.

There are all sorts of barriers to sharing knowledge effectively.  Sometimes we are unaware of what knowledge is available  - perhaps there aren’t opportunities to discover the ‘know-how’ of others, maybe we are unaware of what we do not know, or we sit in a silo not sighted on the good practice happening in other parts of the organisation.  Maybe explicit written down knowledge is inaccessible or knowledge from research, data or guidance requires summarising for it to be easily used.  Sometimes there is just not the right culture in place for knowledge to be shared effectively.

This KNOWvember we will be celebrating the work that knowledge and library specialists do to create a learning culture for sharing and using knowledge. 

How to get involved

Everyone working in knowledge and library services can get involved with #KNOWvember22.

  • Visit the website to read a collection of blog posts about knowledge mobilisation
  • Use the resources available from the promotional resources workspace.  Perhaps put up a poster, share a tweet or create your own screensaver
  • Promote the NHS Knowledge Mobilisation Framework of tools and techniques to make sharing and using knowledge easier – available as postcards and as short E-Learning modules
  • Share all the work you do to mobilise knowledge in your organisation using social media and tagging #KNOWvember22, local newsletters or mention in meetings or training sessions
  • Take part in one of the many events taking place throughout the month

Knowledge exchange.  What is the best way to engage with professional groups such as nurses and midwives to discover, gather and share their knowledge?  This is the question that Judith Dando, MBE will be addressing as she describes her recent work on the call for evidence stage of the Phillips Ives Review.  Judith will share her learning about the approach taken to gather evidence for the review.

Knowledge café.  Join colleagues from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to hear more about their work and to discuss effective ways to disseminate research findings.  Questions for discussion include

  • Do plain English summaries of research evidence make a difference to how research is used?
  • How could NIHR outputs help you mobilise knowledge to your users?

Learning Health Systems.  Dr Tom Foley returns to provide an update and to examine how knowledge management techniques contribute to a Learning Health System, creating a culture for knowledge sharing.   

After Action Reviews – sharing the learning.  Various colleagues from across the country will be sharing top tips, good practice and learning from what has and has not worked when introducing knowledge mobilisation. 

Peer Assist.  Learning about End Point Assessment.  Apprentices will share their experience of managing this assessment stage of their apprenticeship and previous apprentices will shar ethe learning from their projects. 

Knowledge café.  Join the discussion to find out more from colleagues at CILIP, the library and information association, about library, information and knowledge careers

Further information about these and other planned events are available on the #KNOWvember22 website.

Have a conversation or discussion with someone else in your team or another knowledge and library service about knowledge mobilisation, especially if you have attended a #KNOWvember22 event, and break down your own barriers to sharing knowledge.