Professional shopping of physician services: an extension of the simulated patient technique.
Health care researchers have recently begun to use professional shopping to evaluate physician services. The results of two studies conducted by The Cleveland Clinic Foundation indicate that: (1) such studies are easily conducted; (2) physicians are comfortable with the use of professional shopping to obtain patient feedback; (3) the technique is a valuable research tool for improving medical services from a patient's perspective; and (4) there is potential value in using professional shopping as a quality assurance technique.
D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005246:Feedback; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D009820:Ohio; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D012107:Research Design