Susan E. Mazer, Ph.D. Blog

Thoughts and ideas on healthcare

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.

LATEST POST

4 Ways to Practice Environmental Compassion

September 18, 2025

Environmental compassion starts with a simple promise: notice everything that affects a person’s senses, then design it to help them heal. It means being intentional about sound, light, visuals, temperature, touchpoints, and timing

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Nurse Burnout and the Patient Experience: After the COVID Crush

September 19, 2023

There is a post-pandemic burnout that looks like a nursing shortage. How do we improve their environment and provide proper care & resources

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Why Patients Suffer the Nighttime Hours

October 17, 2022

Sleep has never been easy for me. As I child I would beg my mom to “sing me to sleep.” As an adult going through high stress events, I would

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Perception: What Influences the Patient’s Perception of Their Experiences?

August 1, 2022

Many studies have attempted to answer this question. The common generalizable factors influencing a patient’s perception of their experiences are age, acuity, culture, socioeconomic status, and cognitive capacity. These factors

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What a difference an “S” makes: From Value-based Care to Values-based Care

June 30, 2022

“Value-based Care” was developed by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to create accountability regarding healthcare reimbursement. In 2020, new rules pushed equity between cost and service/outcomes further; what

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Waiting Is the Worst – Here’s How to Fix the Waiting Room Experience

March 4, 2022

When a patient waits, their suffering begins. Whether nervously waiting for a call from the doctor, waiting for your doctor’s appointment that’s in the next few hours, sitting in an

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Joy and Grief: The Paradox of the Holidays

December 7, 2021

This holiday season, I am reminded that we are still in the COVID-19 pandemic and celebrating the holidays, once again, with this virus. However, this year has shown itself to have been one of the richest years in moving us towards brighter days.

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Nurse Burnout and the Patient Experience: The COVID Crush

October 1, 2021

Pat Linton, the founding CEO of North Hawaii Community Hospital, categorically stated that “The only difference between the patient and the caregiver is acuity.” What does that mean? Well, it

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Healing from Trauma: 9/11 and COVID-19, Fires, and Hurricanes

September 11, 2021

This was first published on September 11, 2020. When I reread it, I felt that it was time again, with updates to reflect what is current. However, so

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When What We Believe, Know, and Practice is Not Enough

June 25, 2021

Throughout the history of science, long-held beliefs have been disproven by new empirical evidence. It was not uncommon for the new evidence to be fully rejected and the messenger to

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6 Nursing Pioneers & Visionaries You Need to Know

May 7, 2021

In her influential work, “Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not,” Florence Nightingale clearly states that her intention is neither to teach nor dictate strict rules

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