Q: How would patients like to give feedback to their healthcare provider?

The authors analysed questionnaires from nearly 2000 adults registered with GPs in Grampian, northern Scotland. They asked them to choose whether they would prefer to give feedback via patient representatives, a telephone comments line, or a feedback website. They also outlined three scenarios and asked them to choose from a number of different ways of giving feedback about them. More than four out of five respondents favoured the idea of patient representatives, and these were the most widely preferred actions for two out of the three scenarios. Participants justified their choice mainly on the basis of ease of use, the perception that they would be listened to, and the likelihood that something would be done. A substantial minority, however, felt that their concerns would not be listened to, however they were expressed; as one commented: “No one listens”. The authors conclude that any new attempts to improve responsiveness “must clearly …