Rogers Diffusion of Innovations Model According to Pender, Murdaugh, and Parsons (2011), the term innovation means an idea

or practice that is thought to be new (p. 76); and the term diffusion is the process through which an innovation [or a new idea] is communicated through certain channels, over time, among members of a social system (Rogers, 2003) (Pender, Murdaugh, and Parsons, 2011, p. 76). This theory has four main elements, innovation, communication channels, time, and social system (Pender, Murdaugh, and Parsons, 2011). Other concepts within this theory describe the speed that an innovation is adopted; by the perception that it is better than the previous one, it fits with the existing values and experiences, it is simple to use, it can be trialed, and the results are visible to others (Pender, Murdaugh, and Parsons, 2011). This theory could be or should have been used with our adoption of an electronic medical record (EMR). The EMR is perceived by the staff to be better than a paper chart, it fits with most values, except the financial cost is too high, it is fairly simple to use, it was trialed, and the use of an EMR is visible to every patient. This would seem to have made the process simple and quicker, but this is not how it is working out at the present time. The Diffusion of Innovations Model describes adopter categories, the first one being the innovators. The EMR is an extremely slow process because the innovators or the active information seekers, the first to accept a new idea, and the role models within the social system (Pender, Murdaugh, and Parsons, 2011) are not a part of the team, therefore, it is not being adopted quickly. The adopters are also the communicators about the positive aspects of an innovation, thus positive communication about the EMR is also not happening. This model could be used for other projects in the future, like the next portion of the EMR process. The team will need to be reorganized to include the new idea accepters, and

make sure it is simple, compatible with values (like time and cost savings), and it is frequently observed, by patients and other staff, being used. Sticking with and advancing the change is daily work that requires the undivided focus of all [emphasis added] team members (YoderWise, 2011, p. 327).

References Pender, N. J., Murdaugh, C. L. & Parsons, M. A. (2011). Health promotion in nursing practice (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2011). Leading and managing in nursing (5th ed.). St.Louis, MO: Mosby