Using the diffusion of innovation model to influence practice: a case study

Abstract

There continue to be suggestions within the nursing literature that research findings are not being utilized in clinical practice. The reasons for this are well documented. However, less emphasis is given to ways to facilitate utilization. It seemed possible that non-utilization could be due not only to lack of knowledge, but also to the method of implementing change towards research-based practice. The "top-down', authoritarian, approach to dissemination of information within the NHS may have been a block to research use. Could staff be motivated to consider research-based change through use of a different approach? An "action research' approach seemed a possible way to attempt to facilitate research-based practice. Within this study one ward was used with all staff as the participants. The staff identified the area to be studied (devising a protocol for preoperative information-giving). The instruments used were semi-structured interviews and informal discussions and field notes. Rogers' diffusion of innovation model was used to organize data collection and to analyse results. Although the results may not be generalizable, the use of this model provides a useful framework for others interested in an alternative approach to achieving research-based practice.

Research utilization among medical and surgical nurses: a comparison of their self reports and perceptions of barriers and facilitators

“…Horsley et al . 1983, Hunt 1987, Pearcey & Draper 1996) there have been few studies which have evaluated interventions designed to promote research utilization, in nursing practice. Much can be learnt from the success and the failure of these projects.…”

A Taxonomy of Innovation: Configurations of Attributes in Healthcare Innovations

“…Finally, the characteristics of Rogers' (2003) 'readily-adopted' innovation have been widely used as a basis for devising communication strategies to support the adoption of health care innovations (e.g., Becker, 1970a;Romano, 1990;Pearcey and Draper, 1996;Landrum, 1998;Hilz, 2000;Ash and Bates, 2005), though it has been criticized for providing insufficient guidance on how to design specific interventions to influence this process . The finding that twothirds of our sample does not adhere to Rogers' typology suggests one reason why such past guidance may have been insufficient, further suggesting both an alternative focus for the development of communication strategies, and that promoters of innovations may require different strategies based on innovation type.…”

Building a foundation for evidence-based practice: experiences in a tertiary hospital

“…The data were re-analysed excluding the fourth and fifth criteria, as few empirical studies of the models' effectiveness were identified in the published literature and little variation in the scoring of the generalisability criterion was noted in the ratings. Table 2 shows the results for the top 8 rated models in the analyses, [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] with the mean total scores for the 5 criteria and the 3 core criteria (clear and concise, comprehensive, and ease of use by direct care nurses).…”