The Dynamics of Technological Change in Medicine

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Abstract
Prologue: Within public policy circles, high-technology medical care has been viewed as a curse and a blessing because of its capacity to consume an ever-increasing share of resources and the wonders it works in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Although opinions abound about its value, far less is understood about the processes of innovation and the multiple forces that encourage or impede technologic development. In this paper Annetine Gelijns and Nathan Rosenberg discuss these processes, underscoring the diverse influences to which they are subjected. Gelijns is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery and School of Public Health at Columbia University. She is associate director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Innovation Research in Surgery there. Gelijns holds a doctorate in medicine and science policy from the University of Amsterdam and a master of law degree from the University of Ley den, the Netherlands. Rosenberg is a professor of economics at Stanford University. He has d...