Adoption of innovations by Canadian radiologists

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that help or hinder the adoption of new procedures and practices by Canadian radiologists. Canadian radiologists were asked, by means of a mail survey, for information about innovations in practice adopted during the previous 2 years or planned for the next 2 years. Surveys were sent to the 1077 practising radiologists registered in the Canadian Association of Radiologists as of Sept. 30, 1991; 325 responded (30.2%). The responses were correlated with demographic information obtained in the same survey and through the Maintenance of Competence Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was more likely to be adopted in larger communities (those with a population of more than 500,000), computed tomography in medium-sized and larger communities (more than 100,000), mammography in medium-sized and smaller communities (500,000 or less) and ultrasonography (US) in smaller communities (100,000 or less). Radiologists with a faculty appointment at a university were more likely to adopt MRI and digital imaging, whereas those with no faculty status were more likely to adopt US and structural changes to a practice. The authors conclude that the size of the community in which a practice is located and the practitioner's faculty status both play a role in the adoption of innovations.