title: Lessons from eight countries on diffusing innovation in health care.
abstract: Health care systems are under increasing pressure to cope with shifting demographics, the threat of chronic and noncommunicable disease, and rising health care costs. The uptake of innovations to meet these challenges and to advance medicine and health care delivery is not as rapid as the pace of change. Greater emphasis on the diffusion of innovation and greater understanding of the structural and organizational levers that can be used to facilitate systemwide improvement are essential. This article describes the results of a qualitative and quantitative study to assess the factors and behaviors that foster the adoption of health care innovation in eight countries: Australia, Brazil, England, India, Qatar, South Africa, Spain, and the United States. It describes the front-line cultural dynamics that must be fostered to achieve cost-effective and high-impact transformation of health care, and it argues that there is a necessity for greater focus on vital, yet currently underused, organizational action to support the adoption of innovation.
authors.affiliation: Oliver P. Keown (o.keown@imperial.ac.uk) is a clinical adviser and policy fellow at the Centre for Health Policy, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, in the United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Oliver P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Keown
authors.affiliation: Greg Parston is director of programs, World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), Qatar Foundation, and an executive adviser at the Centre for Health Policy, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parston
authors.affiliation: Hannah Patel is a program support officer at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Fiona Rennie is a program support officer at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rennie
authors.affiliation: Fathy Saoud is a senior adviser to the chairperson of Qatar Foundation, in Doha.
authors.forename: Fathy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saoud
authors.affiliation: Hanan Al Kuwari is managing director of the Hamad Medical Corporation, in Doha.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al Kuwari
authors.affiliation: Ara Darzi is executive chair of WISH, Qatar Foundation, and director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Ara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Darzi
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D001938:Brazil; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D004739:England; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000639:trends*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D011780:Qatar; D013019:South Africa; D013030:Spain; D014481:United States
keywords: Biotechnology; Medical technology; Workforce Issues