Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of information technology application, and to identify the effect of information technology application en knowledge management process in clinical nurses. Method: Participants were 629 regular clinical nurses who had worked for over 1 year in general units of 9 tertiary medical hospitals including 2 national university hospitals, 5 university hospitals, and 2 hospitals founded by business enterprises. Data were collected from March to May 2003 through questionnaires. Thee structured instruments were used to collect the data: Information Technology Application scale, Knowledge Management Process Scale(Jeong, Lee, Lee, & Kim, 2003), and one for general characteristics. The data were analyzed using reliability analysis, descriptive analysis, one-way ANOVA, $Scheff{\acute{e}$ test, correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis with the SPSS for Windows 10,0 program. Result: 1) The HIS application degree, IT application ability, and IT application frequency were significantly correlated with the degree of knowledge management process activation and 4 elements of knowledge management process, Knowledge Creation, Knowledge Storage, Knowledge Sharing, and Knowledge Utilization(p=.000). 2) The 3 variables, HIS application degree, IT application ability, and IT application frequency explained 47.2% of the total variance of the degree of knowledge management process activation, and 352% of me total variance of Knowledge Storage. And 2 variables, HIS application degree and IT application frequency explained 17.6% of the total variance of Knowledge Creation, 39.9% of the total variance of Knowledge sharing, and 33.8% of the total variance of Knowledge utilization(p=.000). 3) As a result of multiple regression analysis, the key determinant of the degree of knowledge management process activation for nurses was HIS application degree The HIS application degree, IT application frequency, position, IT application ability, and continuous total numbers of years working at the present hospital explained 51.1% of the total variance of the degree of knowledge management process activation(p=.000). Conclusions: These results suggest that the information technology application positively affects the nurses' knowledge management process. From the above findings, information technology application is empirically verified as a useful and effective method to activate knowledge management process, and knowledge management.