| Abstract: | Trying to predict what cardiology will look like in 10, 25, or 50 years is an almost absurd act of imagination. Perhaps even more than most branches of medicine, it has been changing so fast that it is hard to recognize from year to year. When we contemplate the changes that cardiology and the rest of health care are facing, we know that none of these changes will ever be "just technical." They will all be deeply human, and each one will be very difficult for some people. As people and organizations, we all come to that point where we have to change. Where we are is not working, we can't go on like this, we have to do something different. After boldly setting off to go someplace new, after some basic work is done to escape the original presenting problem--we reach the Great River. This is a point at which small, incremental changes won't do and we truly need to see ourselves differently. There is no bridge, no easy way across. This is where we must gather our resources and courage, remind ourselves of why we came this far. Yet many of us don't, and settle for something comfortable rather than cross that wide, turbulent river. |
