Quality assurance: what is the consumers' role?

We commenced with the question: what is the "proper" role for consumers in quality assurance? Quality assurance has been discussed as encompassing three phases: clinical review, linkage and drive. We have discussed a range of mechanisms which can contribute to expressing a consumer perspective or the consumers' interest in each of these phases of quality assurance. It is clear that the consumers' experience is a useful and legitimate input to clinical review. It is clear that mechanisms for listening more carefully to the consumers' perspective could be introduced more widely. It is clear that greater consumer understanding of an involvement in the whole quality assurance cycle is practicable and, from the point of view of many consumers, highly desirable. Whilst more detailed answers have not been brought forward, a useful framework for considering how to proceed from here has been presented.