Pathways of health technology diffusion: the United States and low-income countries

In the United States, the complex process of getting health care technologies into practice takes place in a competitive health system that is driven by technological innovation. Federal, state, and local governments' roles in the diffusion process are limited. In low-income countries, where competitive markets are not as prominent, diffusing medical innovations requires an alternative understanding of how new technologies are adopted. This paper describes how, in low-income countries, the lack of functioning markets serves as a barrier to the transfer of necessary health technologies, and why governments must act as stewards in promoting technologies there.