title: Are "secret shoppers" an antidote for medical errors caused by physicians' arrogance?
abstract: Arrogance among physicians and other healthcare providers may contribute to errors in medical practice. The use of "secret shoppers" to uncover medical errors is an untapped strategy to reduce their occurrence, as the primary focus of secret shopping, both in the retail industry and in medical settings, has been service--not quality--oriented. A new, robust role for secret shoppers in medicine will require specialization in the principles and practices of quality management, and physicians rather than consumers may be best suited for the job.
authors.affiliation: Temple University Fox School of Business and Management, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. arthur.lazarus@astrazeneca.com
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lazarus
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States