Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Abstract
Much of the research in IT innovation diffusion has been in the study of the diffusion of common technological innovations that intersect human activity in business processes (e.g. web-based e-commerce). There has been less research into the diffusion of specialized technologies in high risk environments where the potentially highly negative but low probability consequences of adopting the technology can affect the adoption decision. Such technologies are employed by highly trained individuals whose work is enhanced and transformed by the IT use. Computer assisted surgery (CAS) exemplifies this technology diffusion arena: surgeons must exhibit a high level of trust in such technology while the risks associated with the use of the technology may be perceived as high. We surveyed individual orthopedic surgeons that have made adoption decisions about CAS using technology trust, predictability, and functionality, as predictors, and the perceived level of risk as a moderator. Our inquiry offers three contributions. First we attempted to show that risk moderates the diffusion decision in the presence of high technology acceptance and trust. Second our study links the diffusion decision of the system to the perceived assigned usefulness of the characteristics of the artifacts that make up the system. Third, we extend prior research on technology diffusion to a class of technologies in which trust and risk may play a pivotal part in the final adoption decision.
Keywords
Surgical technology, technology adoption, medical technology, risk in technology, trust in technology
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Brewster, Jonathan B., "When the Risk of System Use if Life or Death: A Study of the Adoption of Surgical Technology" (2010). Student Scholarship. 530.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/530