The trends in health care delivery for women: Challenges for medical education

The author discusses four key trends in the U.S. health care delivery syste m that affect how women's health care is delivered: the restructuring of pr imary care, particularly in the context of managed care organizations; init iatives in quality assessment; changes in patterns of health insurance cove rage; and threats to the health care safety net. She concludes that medical educators need to link training to these changes in the health care delive ry system to prepare physicians to work effectively for women's health in t he changing system and to help bring about appropriate, needed transformati ons of the institutions in which women's health care is provided. Specific recommendations for medical educators are given after the discussion of eac h trend.