[Quality assurance--quo vadis? What expectations does science have? From quality assurance to health services research].

: Surgical quality control may be developed in applied research. Using methods of clinical epidemiology, the efficacy of therapeutic and diagnostic procedures may be tested in wide fields of patient care. Thereby deficits may be unvealed very rapidly. Applied research pointing towards patient care has to be interdisciplinary and multicentric. A specific role has to be taken by the local boards of medicine.