Introduction:

The search for efficiency in health care for the population signifies a priority for each level of care, so it is vital to identify the elements allowing continuous improvement in institutions. Knowledge management is used for this purpose and it has been studied along with other variables such as organizational culture, leadership and the availability and use of information and communication technologies.

Objective:

The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship of knowledge management with these variables in primary addiction care centers in Northwest Mexico.

Methods:

A questionnaire (α = .977) was applied to 80 health professionals who worked in these institutions. Positive, large and significant relationships were found among knowledge management and leadership (r = .816, p < .001) and among knowledge management and organizational culture (r = .802, p < .001). However, positive and moderate correlation was found with the information and communication technologies variable.

Conclusions:

It is concluded that in primary addiction care centers in Northwest Mexico, organizational culture and leadership are considered the most important factors to contribute to the success of knowledge management, mainly in the acquisition and transfer of knowledge. It is important to consider in future studies the social and economic benefits of using knowledge management in organizational decision making.