Mystery Shoppers and Self-Monitors:

BackgroundEmergency contraception (EC) was approved in the UK as a pharmacy medicine for purchase without prescription in 2001. Twenty years later we conducted a study to characterise routine practice pharmacy provision of EC.Study designMystery shopper study of 30 pharmacies in Edinburgh, Dundee and London participating in a clinical trial of contraception after EC.MethodsMystery shoppers, aged ≥16 years, followed a standard scenario requesting EC. After the pharmacy visit, they completed a proforma recording the duration of the consultation, where it took place, and whether advice was given to them about the importance of ongoing contraception after EC.ResultsFifty-five mystery shopper visits were conducted. The median reported duration of the consultation with the pharmacist was 6 (range 1–18) min. Consultations took place in a private room in 34 cases (62%) and at the shop counter in the remainder. In 27 cases (49%) women received advice about ongoing contraception. Eleven women (20%) left the pharmacy without EC due to lack of supplies or of a trained pharmacist. Most women were generally positive about the consultation.ConclusionsWhile availability of EC from UK pharmacies has undoubtedly improved access, the necessity to have a consultation, however helpful, with a pharmacist introduces delays and around one in five of our mystery shoppers left without getting EC. Consultations in private are not always possible and little advice is given about ongoing contraception. It is time to make EC available without a pharmacy consultation.

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How to do (or not to do) … using the standardized patient method to measure clinical quality of care in LMIC health facilities

Health Policy and Planning ◽

10.1093/heapol/czz078 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (8) ◽

pp. 625-634 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jessica J C King ◽

Jishnu Das ◽

Ada Kwan ◽

Benjamin Daniels ◽

Timothy Powell-Jackson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Care ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Sampling Strategy ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Middle Income ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Rich Data ◽

Mystery Shoppers ◽

Key Steps

Abstract Standardized patients (SPs), i.e. mystery shoppers for healthcare providers, are increasingly used as a tool to measure quality of clinical care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where medical record abstraction is unlikely to be feasible. The SP method allows care to be observed without the provider’s knowledge, removing concerns about the Hawthorne effect, and means that providers can be directly compared against each other. However, their undercover nature means that there are methodological and ethical challenges beyond those found in normal fieldwork. We draw on a systematic review and our own experience of implementing such studies to discuss six key steps in designing and executing SP studies in healthcare facilities, which are more complex than those in retail settings. Researchers must carefully choose the symptoms or conditions the SPs will present in order to minimize potential harm to fieldworkers, reduce the risk of detection and ensure that there is a meaningful measure of clinical care. They must carefully define the types of outcomes to be documented, develop the study scripts and questionnaires, and adopt an appropriate sampling strategy. Particular attention is required to ethical considerations and to assessing detection by providers. Such studies require thorough planning, piloting and training, and a dedicated and engaged field team. With sufficient effort, SP studies can provide uniquely rich data, giving insights into how care is provided which is of great value to both researchers and policymakers.

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Digital Customer Experience Mapping in Russian Premium Banking

Economies ◽

10.3390/economies9030108 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 108

Author(s):

Galina Timokhina ◽

Lyubov Prokopova ◽

Yuri Gribanov ◽

Stanislav Zaitsev ◽

Natalia Ivashkova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Customer Experience ◽

Performance Comparison ◽

New Approach ◽

Theoretical Contribution ◽

Digital Customer Experience ◽

Mystery Shopping ◽

Definition Of ◽

Mystery Shoppers ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Conceptual Research

The purpose of this study is to identify, in an era of extensive digitalization, the major opportunities and threats that influence the experiences of digital premium banking customers at key stages of their banking interactions. This study’s conceptual research model combines the content of online questionnaires, completed by a representative sample of 3629 customers, in-depth interviews with heads of premium banking departments, and an audit of customer experiences conducted via Mystery Shopping in 13 Russian banks. The authors formulate four research hypotheses, substantiated by the empirical data and highlight key barriers preventing premium banks from effective digital interactions with their customers. Key opportunities for improving customer experiences are also identified. The theoretical contribution of the research includes the adaptation of an axiological approach to studying digital customers in premium banking. Practical contributions include the Premium Digital Customer Experience Map, designed by the authors as a ready-made tool for planning and improving premium banking services and a tool for performance comparison between competing banks. This study also discusses the authors’ definition of a “digital customer”. It presents a new approach to the Mystery Shopping methodology, including the recruitment of Mystery Shoppers following the three premium banking customer portraits: “saver”, “spender”, and “saver–spender”.

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What agro-input dealers know, sell and say to smallholder farmers about pesticides: a mystery shopping and KAP analysis in Uganda

Environmental Health ◽

10.1186/s12940-021-00775-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Philipp Staudacher ◽

Curdin Brugger ◽

Mirko S. Winkler ◽

Christian Stamm ◽

Andrea Farnham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Safety Information ◽

World Health ◽

Actual Behavior ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Hygiene Practices ◽

Mystery Shopping ◽

Health Organization ◽

Mystery Shoppers ◽

Western Uganda

Abstract Background Pesticides can have negative effects on human and environmental health, especially when not handled as intended. In many countries, agro-input dealers sell pesticides to smallholder farmers and are supposed to provide recommendations on application and handling. This study investigates the role of agro-input dealers in transmitting safety information from chemical manufacturers to smallholder farmers, assesses the safety of their shops, what products they sell, and how agro-input dealers abide by laws and recommendations on best practices for preventing pesticide risk situations. Methods Applying a mixed-methods approach, we studied agro-input dealers in Central and Western Uganda. Structured questionnaires were applied to understand agro-input dealers’ knowledge, attitude and practices on pesticides (n = 402). Shop layout (n = 392) and sales interaction (n = 236) were assessed through observations. Actual behavior of agro-input dealers when selling pesticides was revealed through mystery shopping with local farmers buying pesticides (n = 94). Results While 97.0% of agro-input dealers considered advising customers their responsibility, only 26.6% of mystery shoppers received any advice from agro-input dealers when buying pesticides. 53.2% of products purchased were officially recommended. Sales interactions focused mainly on product choice and price. Agro-input dealers showed limited understanding of labels and active ingredients. Moreover, 25.0% of shops were selling repackaged products, while 10.5% sold unmarked or unlabeled products. 90.1% of shops were lacking safety equipment. Pesticides of World Health Organization toxicity class I and II were sold most frequently. Awareness of health effects seemed to be high, although agro-input dealers showed incomplete hygiene practices and were lacking infrastructure. One reason for these findings might be that only 55.7% of agro-input dealers held a certificate of competency on safe handling of pesticides and even fewer (5.7%) were able to provide a government-approved up-to-date license. Conclusion The combination of interviews, mystery shopping and observations proved to be useful, allowing the comparison of stated and actual behavior. While agro-input dealers want to sell pesticides and provide the corresponding risk advice, their customers might receive neither the appropriate product nor sufficient advice on proper handling. In light of the expected increase in pesticide use, affordable, accessible and repeated pesticide training and shop inspections are indispensable.

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Can humans simulate talking like other humans? Comparing simulated clients to real customers in service inquiries

Discourse Studies ◽

10.1177/1461445619887537 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 87-109

Author(s):

Elizabeth Stokoe ◽

Rein Ove Sikveland ◽

Saul Albert ◽

Magnus Hamann ◽

William Housley

Keyword(s):

United Kingdom ◽

Conversation Analysis ◽

Service Provision ◽

Service Organizations ◽

Conversational Agents ◽

Call Duration ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Mystery Shoppers ◽

Qualitative Analyses

How authentic are inquiry calls made by simulated clients, or ‘mystery shoppers’, to service organizations, when compared to real callers? We analysed 48 simulated and 63 real inquiry calls to different veterinary practices in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The data were transcribed for conversation analysis, as well as coded for a variety of call categories including reason for the call, call outcome and turn design features. Analysis revealed systematic differences between real and simulated calls in terms of (1) reasons for the call, call outcome and call duration and (2) how callers refer to their pets in service requests and follow-up questions about their animal. Our qualitative analyses were supported with statistical summaries and tests. The findings reveal the limitations of mystery shopper methodology for the assessment of service provision. We also discuss the implications of the findings for the use of simulated encounters and the development of conversational agents.

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Accessibility and Barriers to Oncology Appointments at 40 National Cancer Institute–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers: Results of a Mystery Shopper Project

Journal of Oncology Practice ◽

10.1200/jop.2016.014159 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. e884-e900 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Geoffrey S. Hamlyn ◽

Kathryn E. Hutchins ◽

Abby L. Johnston ◽

Rishonda T. Thomas ◽

James Tian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

National Cancer Institute ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Private Insurance ◽

Small Sample ◽

Cancer Centers ◽

Comprehensive Cancer Centers ◽

Timely Access ◽

Mystery Shopper ◽

Appointment Availability ◽

Mystery Shoppers

Purpose: Patients turn to National Cancer Institute (NCI) –designated comprehensive cancer centers because of perceived better quality and more timely access to care. However, recent studies have found that patients at various institutions may struggle to gain access to an appointment or obtain consistent information from attendants. Our study employs a mystery shopper format to identify and quantify barriers faced by patients seeking to make a first consultation appointment across a homogenous sample of 40 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers. Methods: Five mystery shoppers used a standardized call script to inquire about first available appointment times and service offerings. Results: When inquiring about a date for a first available appointment, 29% of callers were unable to secure an estimated date without registering into the center’s database, 51% were able to secure an estimated date, and 20% were provided with an actual date. Of estimated or actual dates for a first available appointment, 74% were greater than 1 week away. There was no statistically significant variation between appointment availability across insurance type or US region. Conclusion: Our study highlights the difficulty of accessing information about appointment availability. Although not statistically significant, inquiries regarding first available appointments for Medicaid patients resulted in longer estimated or actual wait times than those for patients with private insurance, and Medicaid shoppers noted qualitative differences. Although our study was limited by small sample size and imperfect analytic methods, our results suggest the need for more efficient and accessible care for patients at our nation’s top cancer centers.

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Do pharmacists counsel customers about the effects of sedating antihistamines on driving skills? A survey of community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/0300060519838953 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 2018-2025

Author(s):

Hani MJ Khojah

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Side Effects ◽

Side Effect ◽

Traffic Accidents ◽

Saudi Arabian ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Driving Skills ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Mystery Shoppers

Objective To investigate the level of counselling regarding the effects of sedating antihistamines on driving skills provided by private community pharmacies in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This study randomly selected private community pharmacies. Mystery shoppers following a similar scenario individually visited these pharmacies. These clients asked for a commonly used brand of sedating antihistamine and noted the counselling offered by the pharmacist. If spontaneous counselling was not offered, necessary information regarding the medication’s use was requested. Finally, the content of counselling was documented. Results Of the 100 pharmacies selected, 12 were excluded for various reasons and 88 pharmacies were included in the study. Only 23 pharmacies offered spontaneous counselling. Although 73.9% of pharmacists (65 of 88), spontaneously or upon request, mentioned sedation as a side-effect, only one pharmacist warned the client against driving after taking the medication, and three other pharmacists warned against dealing with hazardous machinery. Other side-effects were almost ignored. Conclusion A life-threatening insufficiency in the quality of counselling at Saudi Arabian private community pharmacies exists. Traffic accidents, secondary to the side-effects of sedating antihistamines, may be avoided if proper counselling is offered. Saudi Arabian authorities should take appropriate actions to ensure optimal practice in community pharmacies.

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