Title
Diffusion Theory and Knowledge Dissemination, Utilization, and Integration in Public Health
Document Type
Article
Department or Administrative Unit
Communication
Publication Date
4-21-2009
Abstract
Legislators and their scientific beneficiaries express growing concerns that the fruits of their investment in health research are not reaching the public, policy makers, and practitioners with evidence-based practices. Practitioners and the public lament the lack of relevance and fit of evidence that reaches them and barriers to their implementation of it. Much has been written about this gap in medicine, much less in public health. We review the concepts that have guided or misguided public health in their attempts to bridge science and practice through dissemination and implementation. Beginning with diffusion theory, which inspired much of public health's work on dissemination, we compare diffusion, dissemination, and implementation with related notions that have served other fields in bridging science and practice. Finally, we suggest ways to blend diffusion with other theory and evidence in guiding a more decentralized approach to dissemination and implementation in public health, including changes in the ways we produce the science itself.
Recommended Citation
Green, L. W., Ottoson, J. M., García, C., & Hiatt, R. A. (2009). Diffusion theory and knowledge dissemination, utilization, and integration in public health. Annual Review of Public Health, 30(1), 151–174. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.031308.100049
Journal
Annual Review of Public Health
Rights
Copyright © 2009 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Comments
This article was originally published in Annual Review of Public Health . The full-text article from the publisher can be found here. Due to copyright restrictions, this article is not available for free download from ScholarWorks @ CWU.