Quo vadis? Trends in demographics and pediatric care and their impact on the specialty of pediatric radiology

Excerpt

The practice of a subspecialty such as pediatric radiology is highly dependent on the stability and vitality of its workforce, on a large population of patients that needs our services, on an adequate reimbursement system, and on the understanding and adoption of new technologies. Each of these independent variables is experiencing rapid changes in North America, changes that will affect how pediatric radiology is practiced in the foreseeable future. This paper is an attempt to examine the larger societal and health-care trends and their potential impacts on pediatric radiology. As the typical mutual fund prospectus warns that “past performance is not a guarantee of future performance,” most attempts to predict the future are flawed by imprecision. Nonetheless, if pediatric radiology is to thrive, we the practitioners and leaders of the specialty need to be fully informed about those larger forces that impact us so that we can develop effective strategies to adapt and cope. …