Serendipity: Translational research, high quality care, and the children’s hospital

The word “serendipity” was coined by Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford, in a letter he wrote in January 1754. He defined serendipity as the making of “….discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which [you] were not in quest of….you must observe that no discovery of a thing you are looking for comes under this description.”I would like to make the case that a children’s hospital can be a superb setting in which to attempt this feat—to generate Serendipity. I would also like to convince you that this attribute is absolutely essential to providing the very best care for children.