Use of Diffusion of Innovations Theory in Medical Informatics Research

Background: Diffusion Of Innovations

We chose DOI as the basis for this study because it is a frequently-studied and widely-accepted theory, having few changes since its inception over 60 years ago (Brown, 1981; Rogers, 2003). Following is a brief explanation of DOI (for an exhaustive discussion of DOI, refer to Brown, 1981; Rogers, 2003). Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system and involves how, when, and by whom an innovation is adopted (Lippert & Forman, 2005; Rogers, 2003). An innovation is a practice, idea, or object that is new or perceived as new by a unit of adoption (Flint, Larsson, Gammelgaard, & Mentzer, 2005; Hazen, Cegielski, & Hanna, 2011; Rogers, 2003). Many studies in medical informatics investigate innovations and barriers to their diffusion or adoption.