Innovation in health services: technology transfer and diffusion of risk assessment tools for the treatment of pressure ulcer

With the growing challenge of an ageing population, healthcare systems are facing severe disease conditions, such as pressure ulcers, brought about by the increasing length of stays of elderly patients in hospitals. The clinical treatment of pressure ulcer is one of the fields in which significant health service innovation has emerged. For instance, the usage rate of energy-smart risk assessment tools in curing and caring for pressure ulcers amongst Japanese hospitals was 99.8 percent in 2008 compared with 0 percent in 1986. This research is an attempt to identify the underlying factors influencing the innovation and diffusion processes of risk assessment tools utilized in treating pressure ulcers. This work identified four factors contributing to this process: 1) international technological transfer with incremental improvements, 2) a policy-interventional translational research cycle embedded in the academia-government-hospital complex, 3) a product-centric translational research cycle embedded in the industry-academia-hospital complex, and 4) grass roots promotional activities performed by Enterostomal Therapy and Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses.