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.
April 16, 2021
Let’s talk about the patient experience! The movement is over a decade old, has been described from various perspectives, yet remains a challenge to actually define and operationalize. My goal
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
Read more >July 29, 2016
There are many similarities between patient experience surveys and the HCAHPS survey. They are both directed to patients, they both have multiple-choice questions, and they are both used to help hospitals improve
Read more >June 24, 2016
Contrary to what some might think, the patient experience movement wasn’t inspired by just one event or just one speech. It has a history, a kind of genealogy. From Wikipedia: “The word
Read more >February 19, 2016
We are buried in the patient experience metrics, advice, processes, workshops, and standards. And, while the HCAHPS survey has reduced the patient experience to its 31 multiple choice questions, much
Read more >August 8, 2014
In thinking about the history of regulatory accountability, HCAHPS has no precedent. As a measurement tool, it has many gaps, including a gap between intention and outcomes and a gap
Read more >June 27, 2014
“The only difference between the patient and the caregiver is acuity.” So said hospital CEO Pat Linton so many years ago. And, nothing has changed. Being human puts us at
Read more >June 13, 2014
Building on my post from last week, healthcare providers ask patients lots of questions to find out if caregivers did their jobs right. And, from my own experience as a
Read more >June 6, 2014
The word “flourish” is relatively new as a humanistic goal for healthcare — for patients, staff, and our communities. And, it is an easy word to say but so difficult
Read more >January 24, 2014
While the healthcare industry is focused on measuring outcomes, we have also reduced the human outcomes to multiple choice tests. Probably most people who take these tests guess at the
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