Economic forces and hospital technology. A perspective from Europe

The paper considers the economic characteristics of technology and suggests a categorization based on the economic nature of particular technologies and their effect on the product health care that may be helpful in considering the economics of technology in hospitals. It reviews the range of economic forces that might be expected to apply to the use of technology in the hospital setting, and notes some of the evidence to support such hypotheses. In considering the limited evidence from the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, the paper contrasts its focus on socio-political, institutional, and organizational factors, rather than the direct economic factors considered in the United States work. It suggests that the multiplicity of forces at work make cross-national, empirical, and policy analyses very difficult. Indeed, without more economic appraisal the effect of differences in technology adoption cannot be evaluated.