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Table 6 Cases of misrepresentions during the surveys and at folllow-up

From: The survey visit as a key evaluative event in accreditation–a qualitative study of survey visit experiences among surveyors and general practice professionals

Clinic

Misrepresentions

Clinic 3

Most of the professionals in the clinic did not reveal that they did not ask all patients for social security number, but occasionally used visual recognition. While one GP revealed this at the survey, he subsequently misrepresented their procedures in the follow-up call with the accreditation agency.

Clinic 5

• Did a thorough cleaning of the clinic right before the survey visit to ensure that the clinic appeared impeccable

• The clinic had been given remark for not keeping sufficiently detailed patient records, but the GP intended to stay non-compliant in this area and did not disclose this at the survey visit

Although the GP expressed intentions to change procedures for COPD care in response to the remarks of the surveyors, he had not done so at the time of our second research interview.

Clinic 7

GP disagreed with the requirements of always wearing short sleeves (which she did not usually do) but during the survey visit she would wear short sleeves.

For some patients, the GP ensured patient identity only by visual recognition (and not through oral confirmation of social security number) but did not reveal this at the survey.

Clinic 10

The professionals had agreed to say that they adhered to the standard concerning cleaning of toys in the waiting areas and daily cleaning of the clinic although this was not entirely true.

The GP did not label testkits with social security numbers, but placed the test sample and patient information together in a box for the nurse to complete.

Nurse had taken of her rings of a couple of days before the survey visit in order to avoid questions about this.

Clinic 12

Did a thorough cleaning of the clinic before the survey visit although this was not usual practice.