title: Innovation in HIV prevention: organizational and intervention characteristics affecting program adoption.
abstract: A multiple case study design was used to explore the organizational characteristics of community-based organizations that provide HIV prevention programs and the criteria these organizations employ when judging the merits of externally-developed HIV prevention programs. In-depth interviews were conducted with organizational representatives of 38 randomly-selected HIV prevention providers throughout Illinois. Results indicated that there were three main types of adopting organizations: adopters of entire programs, adopters of program components and practices, and adopters of common ideas. These three types of organizations were distinguished by their level of organizational commitment to HIV prevention, organizational resources, and level of organizational maturity. Narrative data from the interviews are used to describe the dimensions that underlie the organizations' program adoption criteria. The criteria of merit used by these organizations to evaluate prevention programs provide partial empirical support for existing theories of technology transfer. Implications for designing and disseminating HIV prevention programs are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology (M/C 285), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 W. Harrison St., Chicago, Illinois 60607-7137, USA. rlmiller@uic.edu
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D015397:Program Evaluation