The evaluation of the quality of health care. A lay perspective.
The careful selection of a physician or hospital is important to the quality of health care received. Unfortunately, our present medical/health system does not provide laypeople with the opportunity to take active, informed roles in choosing their own medical care. In order to make such decisions, laypeople need to have more useful information concerning the quality of their medical providers. Nonprofessional users of the system should become more actively involved in the evaluation of hospitals and physicians. In doing so, people will not only improve their health, but also help to restructure the medical system into one that is more efficient and responsive to their needs.
D003256:Community Participation; D006266:Health Education; D006761:Hospitals; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States