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Keeping patients a "mystery"

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, September 13, 2007

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Perhaps you've gotten a dirty glass at a restaurant, but didn't bother to complain. On the other hand, maybe you kept meaning to send a letter complimenting the store clerk who helped you find just the right gift for your picky Aunt Sally and never got around to it. Many service companies eager for this sometimes-elusive feedback hire "mystery shoppers," which are customers who are paid to provide an honest report of their experience in a store, restaurant, or healthcare facility.

There are two main reasons why hospitals should consider using mystery shoppers (i.e., patients). The first purpose is to create a baseline assessment of the practice before beginning a customer service initiative. The results will help ensure the practice focuses on relevant training efforts. The second reason is to evaluate and reinforce your training.

Mystery patients should be trained to take in details such as:

• Whether the signage in the practice is clear
• Whether or not the bathrooms are clean
• Whether or not the medical assistants introduce themselves by name

To get more information, go to Private Practice Success (PPS). For the cost of just three stories, you can get the entire September issue of PPS. Click here to choose between the PDF and HTML versions for just $30. Subscribers to the online version of PPS have free access to this article. Subscribers to the print newsletter can find this article in their September issue.

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