title: The influence of a professional physician network on clinical decision making.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the role of physicians' professional networks in decision-making processes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A professional network was examined in three stages: content analysis and categorization of discussions concerning decision-making processes, in-depth interviews, and a questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The RAMBAM network has professional as well as social roles. On a professional level, physicians seek approval of their initial line of reasoning regarding their clinical cases, but will consider other approaches if such are suggested by persons of professional repute or if answers are based on evidence-based medicine and include referral to a relevant source. On a social level, physicians want to be part of their professional community and share information and experiences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians' professional networks have a social role that is expressed by a feeling of belonging to a community, as well as a professional role of capturing and disseminating medical knowledge during physicians' decision-making processes. Professional networks constitute a unique source of tacit knowledge that extends existing formal knowledge resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study can increase physicians' awareness of professional networks as a unique source of tacit knowledge and can assist in the future design of medical professional networks as knowledge resources for medical decision making.
authors.affiliation: Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: dikla.agur@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Dikla Agur
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Meira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Orit
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cohen Castel
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karkabi
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003657:Decision Making; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D024382:Professional Role; D060756:Social Networking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Clinical decision making; Knowledge management; Physician professional network; Tacit knowledge; community of practice