Diffusion of Innovations in Service Organizations: Systematic Review and Recommendations

This article summarizes an extensive literature review addressing the question, How can we spread and sustain innovations in health service delivery and organization? It considers both content (defining and measuring the diffusion of innovation in organizations) and process (reviewing the literature in a systematic and reproducible way). This article discusses (1) a parsimonious and evidence-based model for considering the diffusion of innovations in health service organizations, (2) clear knowledge gaps where further research should be focused, and (3) a robust and transferable methodology for systematically reviewing health service policy and management. Both the model and the method should be tested more widely in a range of contexts.

Author(s): Trisha Greenhalgh; Glenn Robert; Fraser Macfarlane; Paul Bate; Olivia Kyriakidou

Keywords: diffusion of innovation; systematic review; implementation

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Volume 82, Issue 4 (pages 581–629)
DOI: 10.1111/j.0887-378X.2004.00325.x
Published in 2004