[Implementation of innovations in healthcare: radiotherapy as an example]

The implementation of innovations is considered necessary in healthcare, both for improving patient outcomes and services and to reduce costs. Two problems can occur during the implementation process: innovations that have not been properly evaluated in terms of patient outcomes or cost-effectiveness can sometimes spread quickly, whereas innovations that have shown to lead to significant improvements in a research study setting may struggle to find their way into clinical practice. Problems may also arise when organizational innovations are implemented that are not evidence-based: an example would be the implementation of a new ICT system that affects the patient's environment negatively upon introduction. In this article, the problems surrounding innovation implementation in medical care are described in general and in more concrete terms, we describe how Dutch radiotherapy centres perform in this area. Based on the findings, a systematic plan is described that can help to innovate more effectively and efficiently to the benefit of clinical practice in all disciplines.