[User involvement in the Danish health care sector]

The aim of the health services is to ensure an optimal result for its users. It is documented that involvement has a positive impact on treatment, and in many respects patients take another view on the concept of quality than does health personnel. In Denmark every fifth patient experiences insufficient involvement in his or her own course of treatment - furthermore, the patient perspective is given insufficient attention and there is a general lack of user representation and user surveys in the processes shaping the organization of the health services and cultural issues. A national strategy is needed.