To ensure that FDA considers the views of consumers, the Agency includes consumer representatives on its 32 advisory committees and panels that address issues such as blood products, drugs, food and nutrition and veterinary medicine. Consumer representatives on the committees present the consumer perspective on issues, serve as a liaison between a committee and consumers and discuss scientific issues that affect consumers. They are called on to analyze data, discuss risks and benefits, and evaluate the safety and effectiveness of products under review. Currently, the Agency is recruiting consumer representatives for Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs, Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs, Anesthesiology and Respiratory Devices, General and Plastic Surgery Devices, and Ophthalmic Devices. Consumer representatives serve a term of up to four years.
Service includes up to four two-day meetings a year in the Washington, DC area.
Candidates may be nominated by an organization or self-nominated. The New York State Department of Health has released guidelines for office-based surgery to improve patient safety and the quality of care. As more complex surgeries that rely on longer administration of anesthesia increasingly are done outside of licensed hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, there has been increasing concern about patient safety. Although the Center for Medical Consumers and other advocacy groups were unsuccessful in efforts to get regulations passed, the guidelines are at least a first step. Consumers should use the guidelines to check whether a doctor's office is doing everything possible to maximize patient safety.