Postgraduate medical education - Challenges and innovative solutions.

This special issue on research in postgraduate education captures four main themes: innovative practice; high stakes selection; challenges in delivering the curriculum in a time restricted system and faculty development. Quality improvement in postgraduate training is being enhanced by educational research. The drivers for this are changes in medical knowledge and practice; increasing patient, consumer and employer expectations of physicians, advances in technology in education and healthcare; changing expectations from specialist trainees and supervisors, and societal demands for greater accountability from the medical profession.