Systematically Gathering Clinician Opinions on Health Care Technology

Q-methodology appears to be effective for systematically gathering clinician opinions regarding health care technology. One-on-one interviews and focus groups provided sufficient data to create a concourse of radical innovations. Analysis of the radical innovation concourse revealed themes that guided market research into technologies that were currently, or would eventually be, marketed to emergency departments. Generic descriptions of these technologies populated the 43 item Q-set. Clinicians were able to complete Q-sorts independently using a web-based instrument in under 20 minutes. Participants represented a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. Quantitative analysis supported a four component PCA solution which explained 53% of the study variance and contained 33 significantly aligned sorts. The results were interpreted from two frames of reference: 1) in terms of the unique innovation profiles reflected by members of each factor and 2) in terms of consensus and controversial items. The four innovation profiles were: Speed Oriented, Holism Oriented, Acuity Oriented, and Information Availability Oriented. Nine positive consensus items were identified in the areas of health communication, in vitro diagnostics, and imaging. Six negative consensus items were identified in the areas of health communication, non-invasive monitoring, and new treatment options. One significant and extremely controversial item, a government-controlled database that contains a comprehensive patient history, was discussed at length. The results provide streamlined guidance on specific technologies for administrators to explore as well as valuable insights into the underlying attitudes clinicians hold that may influence their technology adoption behavior.