Hi, and welcome to my blog! I'm Susan E. Mazer -- a knowledge expert and thought leader on how the environment of care impacts the patient experience. Topics I write about include safety, satisfaction, hospital noise, nursing, care at the bedside, and much more. Subscribe below to get email notices so you won't miss any great content.
March 12, 2020
Global, natural, and man-made disasters have become a painfully common occurrence. In the last two years, the world has faced hurricanes and earthquakes, mass shootings, terrorists driving trucks into crowds, and a recurrence of measles, whooping-cough, and tuberculosis. Now, we have COVID-19, a virus that remains unknown while it spreads throughout communities. What is new
Read more >January 18, 2019
If we are fortunate in our pursuit of meaningful work, we will find a mentor, a leader who will help us find our way. A guide who will let us know that no matter what is going on around us, we can put on the blinders of “purpose and mission” and move forward. I was
Read more >January 11, 2019
This past November I visited a dear friend at the Charter House, an adult living community connected to Mayo Clinic. She has been living there for 15 years. And, I have come to visit her many times. A month ago, she took a fall and broke multiple bones in her shoulder. It was decided to
Read more >November 21, 2018
Thanksgiving is about giving and gratitude, emphasis on the giving. And, this past year has brought about great changes in the world and right here at The C.A.R.E. Channel. Some of our longtime staff have moved on and others, new to us, bring new ideas and wonder to The C.A.R.E. Channel. My personal experience is
Read more >November 16, 2018
Years pass without much notice, especially as an adult child realizing how our parents age. For us, they seem to stay the same for years and years… then, as if overnight, they are old. They are more frail, slower in responding to us, unable to fully understand all that is going on around them, and,
Read more >October 19, 2018
This is Chaplaincy Week. This is a week to celebrate the role our Chaplains play in caring for us and our patients. Their role is growing as we deal with challenges that are not so easily resolved with surgery or medications alone. For the patient to fully heal beyond their diagnosis, we must tend to
Read more >September 21, 2018
Pain teaches us what it is very early on in life. We learn that if we hurt, we get a kiss, or something extraordinary from someone bigger than we are, telling us “now, it doesn’t hurt any more, right?” However, sometimes we learn differently and suddenly and unforgettably. When I was a child, I had
Read more >February 16, 2018
My recent trip to India was not my first one. In 2002, I went to Delhi and was driven to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Every other trip has been to Mumbai. My husband Dallas Smith has been to India so many times that he can no longer remember how many. Despite this, we
Read more >January 5, 2018
This past year, healthcare has taken both steps forward and steps back. In many ways, healthcare leaders remain stuck and unable to agree on what the major issues are: disease or cost? Staffing or safety? Population health or reimbursement? Improving Health With Whole Person Care In a recent post on Managed HealthCare Executive, healthcare CEO Leanne Berge calls
Read more >December 8, 2017
While healthcare is increasing its dependence on data, exactly which data matters to the quality of care remains in limbo. Population health is about data and people. It is about the “collective” and the “individual.” And, in both cases, the question is about which data helps the patient that is in your clinic, emergency room,
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