ABSTRACT
This chapter examines theories of the diffusion of innovations and relates these theories to hospitals’ adoption of telemedicine technologies. Most studies of the diffusion of innovations derive from one of two bodies of literature, one based in sociology and the other in economics. Everett Rogers (1962) is generally credited with authoring the seminal work in the sociological theory of diffusion. His Diffusion of Innovations outlined a model that is applied both to individual and organizational decisions to adopt innovations. Zvi Griliches (1957) conducted the first economic analysis of diffusion. In his study of hybrid corn adoption among farmers in the Midwest, Griliches found that factors influencing the profitability of an innovation played a central role in its diffusion.
