DIFFUSION OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY MEDICAL INNOVATION - COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY SCANNER EXAMPLE

Computed Tomography scanning is a new radiologic procedure that has significantly altered many dignostic evaluations by its remarkable ability to determine the nature and extent of space occupying lesions quickly and painlessly. Since its introduction six years ago, it has been regarded with uncritical enthusiasm by most Radiologists which has led to its rapid nationwide utilization. In order to evaluate the spatial aspects of early adoption and later general acceptance of Computed Tomography scanning, a questionnaire was sent to Radiology Directors in hospitals throughout the country. Respondents professed their eagerness to acquire this costly innovation. However, the varied influence of regulation, high initial price and rapid obsolescence created unexpected patterns of diffusion. Traditional early adopters were often at a disadvantage. Motivations for purchase were disguised by acknowledgement of favorable cost/benefit ratios when no data on economic efficacy existed. The headlong dash by physicians to acquire the latest innovation irrespective of costs has engendered legislation that seeks to insure a more deliberate distribution. Yet too much control could stifle the innovation process and in the long run create refractory problems for American medicine. © 1979.