About this Research Topic
Over the past several decades technology in healthcare has been rapidly advancing and offers new possibilities for prevention, care, diagnosis and treatment that can improve life expectancy and quality of life. Innovations in the health care industry are also often introduced with the aim of improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of health systems. Yet, despite important technological innovation in the form of new devices, software applications and digital solutions, healthcare systems and organizations have not always been quick to keep up with changes.
Many challenges still persist in the implementation, sustainable use, and spread of technological innovations. These usually stem from factors beyond the technology itself, such as the highly regulated nature of healthcare, resistance by powerful clinicians, health system incentives, organizational or wider social factors that interact with technology.
In this light, this Research Topic calls for contributions that explore new approaches, empirical studies, theoretical developments, practitioner insights and policy reviews on the adoption and diffusion of innovative technologies in health systems. The scope of the call also addresses technology implementation within healthcare organizations and local communities.
We aim to build a research collection that captures historical advances, latest empirical findings, and future developments in this important topic to address the needs of academics, practitioners, policy makers and patient groups internationally. The emphasis of the Research Topic is on the non-technical aspects of digital health technology adoption, diffusion and implementation. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• political and cultural aspects of the technology adoption and diffusion processes
• organizational analyses investigating the implementation and local use of technologies
• organizational leadership and management work that supports or resists technology adoption and its consequences
• user acceptance of technologies, the processes of adapting or tailoring technologies in local contexts
• the influence of professional associations, governance and regulatory systems on the adoption, and diffusion of health technologies at system level
• the tension between local adaptation of technologies to meet the needs of specific user groups or organizations, against the pressure for scaling up, standardization and wider replication across the health system
• the role and behavior of health professionals in technology adoption and diffusion
• health system policies and incentives that impact on health technology adoption and diffusion
We welcome the following article types:
• Empirical research papers;
• Systematic reviews;
• Theoretical papers
• In-depth case studies;
• Evidence-informed expert commentaries;
• Policy reviews
Many challenges still persist in the implementation, sustainable use, and spread of technological innovations. These usually stem from factors beyond the technology itself, such as the highly regulated nature of healthcare, resistance by powerful clinicians, health system incentives, organizational or wider social factors that interact with technology.
In this light, this Research Topic calls for contributions that explore new approaches, empirical studies, theoretical developments, practitioner insights and policy reviews on the adoption and diffusion of innovative technologies in health systems. The scope of the call also addresses technology implementation within healthcare organizations and local communities.
We aim to build a research collection that captures historical advances, latest empirical findings, and future developments in this important topic to address the needs of academics, practitioners, policy makers and patient groups internationally. The emphasis of the Research Topic is on the non-technical aspects of digital health technology adoption, diffusion and implementation. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• political and cultural aspects of the technology adoption and diffusion processes
• organizational analyses investigating the implementation and local use of technologies
• organizational leadership and management work that supports or resists technology adoption and its consequences
• user acceptance of technologies, the processes of adapting or tailoring technologies in local contexts
• the influence of professional associations, governance and regulatory systems on the adoption, and diffusion of health technologies at system level
• the tension between local adaptation of technologies to meet the needs of specific user groups or organizations, against the pressure for scaling up, standardization and wider replication across the health system
• the role and behavior of health professionals in technology adoption and diffusion
• health system policies and incentives that impact on health technology adoption and diffusion
We welcome the following article types:
• Empirical research papers;
• Systematic reviews;
• Theoretical papers
• In-depth case studies;
• Evidence-informed expert commentaries;
• Policy reviews
Keywords: health technology, digital health, innovation, adoption, implementation, diffusion
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
