In recent years more weight is given to the patient's opinion in quality assessment of health services.

The judgement capacities of hospitalized psychiatric patients can, however, be influenced by mental disorders and situational factors, such as dependence on therapists. The question therefore arises whether their quality evaluation is useful. Thirty patients in day treatment completed a quality assessment questionnaire. Afterwards they were requested to comment on their answers in a semi-structured interview. On this basis a score was assigned expressing the patient's ability to give a well-founded opinion concerning the treatment. It was concluded that three-quarters of the patients were capable of giving a useful judgement of the quality of the treatment received.