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The Temporal Dimensions of Health Technology Adoption During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Revisiting Roger’s Diffusionist Innovation Theory

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Organising Care in a Time of Covid-19

Part of the book series: Organizational Behaviour in Healthcare ((OBHC))

Abstract

This chapter examines how an atypical innovation adoption context—the Covid-19 pandemic and consequential social distancing—led to the widespread uptake of digital health solutions in primary care in England from March 2020. The authors revisit Rogers’ diffusionist innovation theory and its discussion of variable adoption timescales given the fast-paced implementation of digital solutions in general practice. Whilst dominant service delivery models designed around the face-to-face encounter pivoted towards remote triage, and online and video consultations, antecedent factors set the groundwork for an expedited rate of adoption in primary care during Covid-19: technological utility; a favourable preceding policy context; and dedicated national resources for digital innovation. An amalgamation of factors therefore created the ideal tipping point for digital tools to be adopted with urgency during the pandemic. Using Rogers’ schematic, the authors suggest that faster innovation adoption decision-making arose at multiple levels compared to normal times, shifting much of the primary healthcare workforce into the category of the ‘early majority’ of adopters. This underscores the potential of health systems to innovate rapidly, but also the contextual contingencies and antecedent policy decisions that influence innovation adoption at scale.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Providers include AccuRX, e-Consult, DoctorLink, AskMyGP, Bablyon—each offering slightly different services.

  2. 2.

    Part of the difficulties occur in coding and data accuracy. General practices made code video calls as telephone calls. Furthermore, digital suppliers for online and video solutions vary in how they collect data.

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Acknowledgements

with special thanks to Dr Minal Bakhai, Professor Ewan Ferlie and the editors of this book for their helpful comments and guidance with earlier drafts. The views expressed in this publication are those of the lead author and not those of NHS England and NHS Improvement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, UK

    Jean Ledger

  2. Digital First Primary Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement, London, UK

    Minal Bakhai

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  1. Jean Ledger
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Correspondence to Jean Ledger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Justin Waring

  2. School of Public Health, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Jean-Louis Denis

  3. Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Anne Reff Pedersen

  4. University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Tim Tenbensel

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Ledger, J., Bakhai, M. (2021). The Temporal Dimensions of Health Technology Adoption During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Revisiting Roger’s Diffusionist Innovation Theory. In: Waring, J., Denis, JL., Reff Pedersen, A., Tenbensel, T. (eds) Organising Care in a Time of Covid-19. Organizational Behaviour in Healthcare. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82696-3_12

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