The future of pathology: a Delphi study by pathology department chairmen

This paper reports the results of a study by and of chairmen of pathology departments in American and Canadian medical schools directed toward discovering chairmen's perceptions and attitudes about the future of pathology. Over 100 of a total of 143 chairmen participated in some or all phases of this study in which the Delphi approach was used. Sixty-five chairmen completed all four rounds of questionnaires. Most chairmen are deeply concerned about increasing federal regulation of medicine. They expect to play a greater role in all phases of medical education with more emphasis on the basic science aspects of pathology. They also foresee a desirable shifting of residency training programs away from small hospitals to the larger medical centers. This shift will result in fewer but longer training programs.