From a questionnaire sent to all obstetricians and gynecologists and all family and general practitioners in San Diego County, California, regarding the Copper T 380A intrauterine device, substantial barriers to prescribing it were identified. Of all physicians responding, 40% reported that they were not recommending the Copper T 380A to anyone, the single most common reason given being concern about medical liability. A lack of knowledge about the new device, a lack of intrauterine device insertion skills, and certain medical practice settings were also important barriers to prescribing it. The new intrauterine device is considered in the context of innovation-diffusion theory. Substantial amounts of education and training and improvement in the medical-legal climate are needed before current barriers to prescribing the new device are removed.
PIP: From a questionnaire sent to all obstetricians and gynecologists and all family and general practitioners in San Diego County, California, substantial barriers to prescribing the Copper T 380A IUD were identified. Of the physicians responding, 40% reported that they did not recommend this method to anyone, mainly because of a concern for medical liability. A lack of knowledge about the new device, a lack of IUD insertion skills, and certain medical practice settings were also important barriers to its being prescribed. The new IUD is considered in the context of innovation-diffusion theory. Substantial amounts of education, training, and improvement in the medical-legal world are necessary before current barriers to prescribing the new device are removed.