title: [University hospitals: past, present and future].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article discusses the evolution of university hospitals, their characteristics, functioning and financing and their role in medical education and research.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data come from a workshop organized by the World Health Organization on university hospitals in 22 countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main finding is that these institutions are increasingly inadequate to the reality of the health sector in which they operate and to the challenges posed by the profound changes currently taking place in the health system of most countries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A reform is needed, and the article presents a few possible strategies for reforming these hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento, Washington, D.C., USA. andrem@iadb.org
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Medici
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans