Diffusion

Abstract

To diffuse is to spread widely. Anthropologically, diffusion occurs when practices or innovations spread within a community or from one community to another. Diffusing a healthcare information system requires overcoming many barriers. Under what conditions is a healthinformation system successfully adopted by its intended target audience? In this chapter the theoretical issues for diffusion are presented. Then a detailed case of preparing to implement one large system shows some preparation needed to diffuse a system.