A Model of Knowledge Management for Local Herbal Healers Based on Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in Thailand

Abstract

Traditional Thai medicine is one of several alternative ways to promote public health in Thailand. In general, it refers to the philosophy, knowledge and methods of practice for health care and illness treatment in line with Thai traditions, culture and the Thai way of life based on the herbal medicines. Today, different techniques are widely used in Nong Don Sub-District, Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand. These techniques are considered as a valuable local wisdom or a body of knowledge known as a tacit knowledge, transmitted from their generations to generations. Sometimes, they disappeared because of the lack of knowledge transmission or knowledge management (KM). In order to preserve this tacit knowledge, there is a need in managing their knowledge. This research therefore aims to develop the model of knowledge management for the herbal healers based on Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) principles for people in Nong Don Sub-District, Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand. In this study, the qualitative research was used to collect the data from 30 key informants including 30 of herbal healers (10) and community members (20) such as local philosophers, academic scholars and hospital officers. The research tools used in this study were: documentary investigation, in-depth interview, Focus-Group Discussion. After all the research processes, the new model of knowledge management has been created in accordance with the principles of SEP and KM. The model is composed of 1) the principles of the SEP: reasonability, sufficiency, morality, immunity and knowledge as the conceptual guideline of herbal health care practices and TUNA model: Knowledge Vision, Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Access as the process in preserving the tacit knowledge of the herbalists in the research area. SEP is suitable to use as the moral and ethical guideline of health care practices. It is said the herbal healers should not only be smart but also moral and ethical, consistent with the Regulations of Thai Traditional Medical Council on Ethics of Thai Traditional Medical Profession, 2014. KM of the herbal healing consists of a set of operations that are used by different organizations in order to identify, create, display and spread knowledge for the benefit of use and learning within Nong Don Sub-District. It leads to more efficient information management which is essential for developing the public health in the community. So that it is necessary for the local organizations and stakeholders to have resources allocated to knowledge management in order to preserve and develop the local wisdom.