Conventional wisdom holds that it takes 17 years from medical innovation to adoption in the real-world. However, with advances in information technology, perhaps adoption timelines have shortened. A paper by DiCicca et al. (2024) examines how new clinical trial evidence on breech births impact practice patterns. Specifically, they note that:
Using the United States Birth Certificate Records from 1995 to 2010, we employ a difference-in-differences estimator for C-sections, low Apgar, and low birth weight measures. We find that the reversal of a multi-site, high profile, randomized control trial on the appropriate delivery of term breech births, the Term Breech Trial, led to a 15%–23% decline in C-sections for such births at a time when the overall trend in C-sections was rising. We find our largest estimated effects amongst traditionally disadvantaged groups (i.e., non-white, and minimal education). However, we do not find that such a change in practice had significant impacts on infant health. Contrary to prior studies, we find that physicians updated their beliefs quickly, and do indeed adjust to new medical research, particularly young physicians, prior to mandatory policy or professional guidelines.
You can read the full study here.
Disclaimer :
This article is solely for informational purposes, any medical information contained is not a substitute for professional medical advice and readers should not rely on it as such.
If you believe there may be errors or misinformation in this article, we encourage you to contact the webmasters by messaging the provided contact information.
Your feedback is valuable, and we are committed to rectifying any inaccuracies. Please note that the content will be re-evaluated, and corrections will be made as necessary following your submission.