The stay of the Ugandan researcher in Kronikgune has been supported thanks to the collaboration of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Women for Africa Foundation, through their programmes “Bizkaia Koopera” and “Ellas Investigan”. 

STuCK-Appic, a Systemic Thinking Approach to understanding the complexities in collaboratively managing knowledge in Advance Care Plan within Personalized Integrated Care, is a project carried out by Dr. Fiona Tulinayo since September 2021. It is expected to be completed in Uganda after her stay in Kronikgune.

Treatment of a severe multi-morbid chronic disease patient requires different stakeholder (e.g. health professionals, medical lab technicians, clinicians, patients, and family members etc.) with differing experience to collaborate (work) together towards patients’ care and treatment. During the various assessments and implementation of the Advance Care Plan (ACP), a lot of information (knowledge) is obtained about the patient’s disease progression, treatment, and care. As this information builds up, there is need for information technologies to support management and exchange of the information. STuCK-Appic therefore aims to explore the extent to which collaborative knowledge management can address challenges in advance care plan (ACP) within personalized integrated care. To achieve this, Dr. Tulinayo will:

  • Identify challenging factors in implementing collaborative knowledge management (CKM) in healthcare, current practices in advance care plan (ACP) and aspects that influence the implementations of ACP within personalized integrated care
  • Identify the contributory factors and complexities in collaboratively managing knowledge for patients with severe multi-morbid chronic disease on advance care plan within Personalized Integrated Care.
  • Apply a co-construction participatory modeling approach in understanding the dynamics in collaboratively managing knowledge for severe multi-morbid chronic disease patients on advance care plan.
  • Derives a systems thinking supported framework that will guide decision making in the implementation of collaborative knowledge management for patients with severe multi-morbid chronic disease patients on ACP within personalized integrated care.

This research is aligned with Kronikgune’s research areas and goals that seek to advance in: a) the evaluation of health policies and services, b) the development of intervention models, c) the dissemination and analysis of change, and d) the implementation of knowledge exchange activities in health services. To tackle this goals, the collaboration and interactions with different health systems, researchers, the society and the decision makers is paramount.

In addition, this study directly contributes to ADLIFE project, coordinated at European level by Kronikgune focused to improve the quality of life of patients living with multiple advanced long term conditions through intelligent, digital, integrated and personalized care. The results obtained from STuCK-Appic can help the extent to which collaborative knowledge management can address challenges in advance care plan (ACP) within personalized integrated care multi-morbid chronic disease patients.