Search results

Reports on a study which aimed to initiate a quality assurance process among health care personnel in Sweden. An epidemiological survey concerning treatment of leg ulcers in a defined region in Sweden was conducted and the costs of treating leg ulcers at different levels of care were analysed. The epidemiological survey provided the data necessary to calculate the socio‐economic costs for the treatment of leg ulcers. The weekly cost was found to be about 24 times higher for hospital in‐patients than it was for patients treated at home. The quality assurance process has continued through an interdisciplinary regional consensus conference and the establishment of a consensus programme in the region, with targets and general suggestions for the care and treatment of leg ulcers. To maintain high quality in leg ulcer treatment in the region, an interdisciplinary reference group has been established with members from different clinics at the hospital and members from the primary health care.

This article investigates the role of schemas in shaping customer experiences in new servicescapes, across the customer journey. The authors take a customer perspective that reveals how schematic information processing takes place at four pyramidal levels—event, touchpoint, encounter and concrete activities—that in turn lead to customer responses.

The study introduces a novel ethnographic schema elicitation technique (ESET), which enables unraveling schemas at the touchpoint level across the customer journey of a European grocery store that recently launched a new SST innovation. This tailored approach provides fine-grained insights into customer experiences at the moment they occur.

The conceptual framework unravels schematic information processing, as illustrated with an empirical study. The activation of different schemas and their modification is highlighted in rich qualitative data.

Innovative service offerings require customers to adapt their existing behaviors. Understanding this highly individual process, which requires schema modification, could be furthered by longitudinal in-depth research.

By understanding schematic information processing, managers and policymakers can develop better strategies for activating sustainability or health-conscious schemas that guide customer behavior in positive directions.

By applying ESET to new self-service technology, the authors provide valuable insights for service managers and retailers. They show the particular need for prudence in changing schemas in ways that avoid negative cognitive, emotional or behavioral responses.