New methods for increasing the hospital personnel participation into the development processes—case Lapland hospital district (Finland)

When the tacit (as well as explicit) knowledge of the hospital field staff is appropriately exploited, the improvement actions can be designed and implemented better and their influence in the care is more effective. However, it is difficult to gain accurate knowledge about the development needs from the hospital field personnel, busily involved in keeping the hospital going on daily. Though they face many troubles in their work and have many ideas for improvements they don&s;t have ways and time to express those in a coherent way. From this follows that many health care development actions are inaccurately directed and do not influence in the right problems from the viewpoint of the personnel. This, then, causes the phenomena of “project-fatigue” and seeds the general scepticism towards development work; which, in turn, does not encourage the field staff to participate more.