What does the future hold for general medicine?

• General medicine is being challenged by increasing numbers of patients who are presenting with multiple comorbidities and a decline in numbers of suitably trained personnel to manage these patients. • A resurgence in generalist care, with collaboration between generalists and specialists, is the key to successfully managing patients who present with acute medical conditions. • Better funded collaborative training programs for general physicians, which promote a diversity of skills and address clinical demand in a proscriptive manner, are needed. • Research aimed at designing acute services to match local clinical demand is also required.