TY - JOUR
T1 - Using knowledge management tools in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey helpdesk
T2 - Pre and post study
AU - Aradati, Maggie
AU - Bilal, Lisa
AU - Naseem, Mohammad Talal
AU - Hyder, Sanaa
AU - Al-Habeeb, Abdulhameed
AU - Al-Subaie, Abdullah
AU - Shahab, Mona
AU - Sohail, Bilal
AU - Baig, Mansoor
AU - Binmuammar, Abdulrahman
AU - Altwaijri, Yasmin
N1 - Funding Information:
The Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS) was conducted by and under the patronage of the King Salman Center for Disability Research. The Ministry of Health (Saudi Arabia), King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, King Saud University, and Ministry of Economy and Planning, General Authority for Statistics are its supporting partners. The SNMHS is carried out in conjunction with the World Health Organization World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative which is supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; R01 MH070884), the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Founda‑ tion, the Pfizer Foundation, the US Public Health Service (R13‑MH066849, R01‑MH069864, and R01 DA016558), the Fogarty International Center (FIRCA R03‑TW006481), the Pan American Health Organization, Eli Lilly and Company, Ortho‑McNeil Pharmaceutical, GlaxoSmithKline, and Bristol‑Myers Squibb. We thank the staff of the WMH Data Collection and Data Analysis Coordina‑ tion Centers for assistance with instrumentation, fieldwork, and consultation on data analysis. None of the funders had any role in the design, analysis, interpretation of results, or preparation of this paper. A complete list of all within‑country and cross‑national WMH publications can be found at http:// www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/wmh/. We also thank the staff at the Survey Research Center, University of Michigan for their advice and support in the planning and implementation of the SNMHS. Additionally, the authors acknowledge the work of all field staff that participated in the study, as well as the input of the SNMHS central team members—both current and those that worked with us in the past. Finally, we are grateful to all the participants.
Funding Information:
The Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS) is conducted by the King Salman Center for Disability Research. It is funded by Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Abraaj Capital, Ministry of Health (Saudi Arabia), and King Saud University. Funding in‑kind was provided by King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, and the Ministry of Economy and Planning, General Authority for Statistics.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Author(s).
PY - 2019/5/10
Y1 - 2019/5/10
N2 - Background: With the growth of information technology, there is a need for the evaluation of cost-effective means of monitoring and support of field workers involved in large epidemiological surveys. Aim: The aim of this research was to measure the performance of a survey help desk that used knowledge management tools to improve its productivity and efficiency. Knowledge management tools are based on information technologies that improve the creation, sharing, and use of different types of knowledge that are critical for effective decision-making. Methods: The Saudi National Mental Health Survey's help desk developed and used specific knowledge management tools including a computer file system, feedback from experts and a call ticketing system. Results are based on the analyses of call records recorded by help desk agents in the call ticketing system using descriptive analysis, Wilcoxon rank-sum test (p < 0.01) and Goodman and Kruscal test (gamma). The call records were divided into two phases and included details such as types of calls, priority level and resolution time. Results: The average time to resolve a reported problem decreased overall, decreased at each priority level and led to increased first contact resolution. Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind to show how the use of knowledge management tools lead to a more efficient and productive help desk within a health survey environment in Saudi Arabia. Further research on help desk performance, particularly within health survey environments and the Middle Eastern region is needed to support this conclusion.
AB - Background: With the growth of information technology, there is a need for the evaluation of cost-effective means of monitoring and support of field workers involved in large epidemiological surveys. Aim: The aim of this research was to measure the performance of a survey help desk that used knowledge management tools to improve its productivity and efficiency. Knowledge management tools are based on information technologies that improve the creation, sharing, and use of different types of knowledge that are critical for effective decision-making. Methods: The Saudi National Mental Health Survey's help desk developed and used specific knowledge management tools including a computer file system, feedback from experts and a call ticketing system. Results are based on the analyses of call records recorded by help desk agents in the call ticketing system using descriptive analysis, Wilcoxon rank-sum test (p < 0.01) and Goodman and Kruscal test (gamma). The call records were divided into two phases and included details such as types of calls, priority level and resolution time. Results: The average time to resolve a reported problem decreased overall, decreased at each priority level and led to increased first contact resolution. Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind to show how the use of knowledge management tools lead to a more efficient and productive help desk within a health survey environment in Saudi Arabia. Further research on help desk performance, particularly within health survey environments and the Middle Eastern region is needed to support this conclusion.
KW - Help desk
KW - Knowledge management
KW - Psychiatric epidemiology
KW - Public health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85065560413&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13033-019-0288-5
DO - 10.1186/s13033-019-0288-5
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85065560413
SN - 1752-4458
VL - 13
JO - International Journal of Mental Health Systems
JF - International Journal of Mental Health Systems
IS - 1
M1 - 33
ER -