An intelligent case-based knowledge management system for quality improvement in nursing homes

Purpose This paper aims at maintaining high service quality of long term care services providers by establishing a knowledge-based system so as to enhance the service quality of nursing homes and the performance of its nursing staff continually. Design/methodology/approach An intelligent case-based knowledge management system (ICKMS) is developed with the integration of two artificial intelligence techniques, i.e. fuzzy logic and case-based reasoning (CBR). In the system, fuzzy logic is adopted to assess the performance through analysis of the long term care services provided, nurse performance and elderly satisfaction, while CBR is used to formulate a customized re-training program for quality improvement. A case study is conducted to validate the feasibility of the proposed system. Findings The empirical findings indicate that the ICKMS helps in identification of those nursing staff who cannot meet the essential services standard. Through the customized re-training program, the performance of nursing st...