Knowledge management based on information technology in response to COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

COVID-19’s rapid spread has caused a global pandemic. Consequently, it is imperative that healthcare organisations conduct crisis management (CM) to cope with this calamity. This study presents a set of operational guidelines for healthcare organisations to launch effective countermeasures against such crises by means of effective knowledge management (KM) practices. Additionally, information-technology (IT) applications can significantly improve organisations’ CM and KM capabilities by enhancing organisational responsiveness and flexibility. This study thus aims to articulate how the use of innovative IT-enabled mechanisms (e.g., non-contact monitoring devices, intelligent robots, and telemedicine) can reduce the risk of exposure and leverage an artificial intelligence-based epidemic intelligence dashboard to support appropriate decision-making by taking the operation of healthcare organisations in Taiwan during COVID-19 crisis as an example. The research results demonstrate the effectiveness of the employment of IT-enabled KM practices in CM settings in terms of preventing or minimising undesirable crisis consequences.