Medical norms and medical innovation: adoption of genetic counselling and new drugs among primary care physicians

摘要: This study analyses the differential impact of physicians’traditional professional norms on their use two innovations, genetic counseling and new drugs. These medical innovations require rather different practice orientations, since former (genetic counselling) necessitates a non-traditional preventive psychosocial approach, while latter (prescribing drugs) can occur within traditional interventionist treatment framework. It is hypothesized that acceptance will be positively correlated with drugs, but negatively counselling. Data obtained through mailed questionnaires received from 307 primary care physicians practising in or near Phoenix Tucson, Arizona, provide tentative support for research hypothesis. The discussion suggests some dysfunctional aspects norms, points to need further unanticipated consequences normative structure.