The process and organisational consequences of new artefact adoption in surgery

Abstract

Surgical technologies since the late 1980s have undergone substantial innovations that have involved ...the adoption of new machines, instruments, and related surgical materials... referred to throughtout this thesis as intra-operative artefacts... typically represents a commitment of substantial financial resources by the hospitals concerned. However, little is documented about the process whereby the decisions are made to adopt new intra-operative artefacts, and no previous research appears to have explored the work-related consequences of new intra-operative artefact adoption within operating theatre services. This thesis explores the reasons why new intra-operative artefacts are adopted, how the decisions are made, who are the participants in the decsion process and what are the expected and actual organisational consequences of new intra-operative artefact adoption.