Report of colloquium I: the future of pediatric health care delivery and education--pondering imponderables to create an ideal residency in a world of critical uncertainties

Abstract

Participants of the first colloquium of the Residency Review and Redesign in Pediatrics (R(3)P) Project considered possible scenarios affecting pediatric practice over the next 15 to 20 years and speculated about the knowledge and skills that pediatricians would need to care for children, adolescents, and young adults in the future. They concluded that the imponderables and complexity of that undertaking fell into the category of a "wicked problem" with no unique solutions. The specifics of the future cannot be predicted, but the themes important to thinking about the future are clear and must be incorporated into thinking about pediatric residency education.