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PORTLAND, Maine

Dora Anne Mills touts UNE IPE approach at recent patient safety presentation

Dora Anne Mills, M.D., M.P.H., vice president for Clinical Affairs, recently addressed the Portland Rotary Club and the York County Senior College on the topics of patient safety, what everyone can do to keep themselves and their loved ones safe while a patient and UNE’s important role through interprofessional education (IPE) in addressing this public health problem. Each audience of about 100 included many of the city’s business leaders at the Portland Rotary Club and seniors from across York County for the Senior College. 

Mills reviewed the startling national data of an estimated 210,000 – 440,000 patients dying annually in U.S. hospitals due to medical errors, most of them healthcare-associated infections and medication errors. She then engaged both audiences in steps they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones while hospitalized, including asking them what strategies have worked for them. The three main steps she promoted were: For each patient to have a notebook by the bedside maintained by them or their visitors with a list of the medications, and notes taken by visitors about any patient plans communicated by health professionals; for visitors and patients to check any medications administered with the list in the bedside notebook; and for everyone to ensure all health care professionals touching the patient or any equipment (including the bed or IV pole) have properly washed their hands. 

After reviewing the data and steps everyone can take, Mills discussed UNE’s important role in addressing patient safety. Given that root cause analyses indicate 80% of medical errors are due to poor teamwork, i.e., poor communication, collaboration and/or coordination, the Institute of Medicine recommends health professions students be educated and trained in interprofessional teams. This IPE approach is something UNE is on the forefront of, implementing IPE both on campus as well as at clinical sites where its students train. With UNE being Maine’s largest educator of health professionals and with 13 health professions programs, this approach is important to improving patient safety across the state. 

FMI: http://www.portlandrotary.org/ and http://yorkcountyseniorcollege.org/

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.