Effect of innovation characteristics on pharmacists' use of written patient medication information

There is increasing pressure on pharmacists to provide written medication information in patients. Unfortunately, recent evidence indicates that this practice has not yet been extensively adopted. Pharmacists' reluctance can be explained partially by Diffusion of Innovations Theory which states that the characteristics of an innovation (i.e. relative advantage, compatibility with needs, experience and values, complexity and trialability) can affect its rate of adoption within a community. This theory was tested in a group of Michigan community pharmacists who recently purchased medication information sheets developed by the Michigan Pharmacists Association. Results were compared with a randomly selected sample of similar pharmacists who had not yet purchased the kit. Study findings support the theory that the adoption of an innovation (i.e. use of written information) is affected by the adopters' perception of certain innovation characteristics. The most influential factor in the adoption of the written information sheets was the extent that they were compatible with the pharmacists' business needs, professional values, and past experiences with providing written information to patients. The most important deterrent to adoption of the sheets appeared to be the perceived complexity in implementation at the practice site.