Anxiety, resistence and disruptive innovations : a methodology for measuring receptivity of eye surgeons to disruptive laser technologies

Attempting to measure receptivity to new innovations based on subjective methods is fraught with challenges. This is especially true in medical markets, where new technologies offer a possible way out to control increased patient demands, rising costs, and the ethical needs to treat a broader range of patients with more predictability and safety. Based on the literature on adoption of technology in the dental field, quantitative measurement of physiological changes, such as blood pressure, heart rate and blood volume may represent a better way of measuring surgeon resistance or receptivity to new products. This is a study that provides a literature review and conceptual development justifying a pilot study in the eye surgery market conducted in Australia. Results from this ophthalmic study support the theory contained in the literature that it is disruptive technologies that often ‘leapfrog’ or jump ahead in health care markets which are often resistant to innovation.