News Releases

USM Muskie School Researchers Receive National Rural Health Quality Award

May 21, 2007

Portland, Maine--Researchers from the USM Muskie School participated with a team from the Tennessee Hospital Association in a patient safety demonstration for rural hospitals that recently received the 2007 Rural Health Quality Award from the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). With direction and support from the Muskie School, the project implemented a set of interventions in eight small rural hospitals to prevent errors and improve safety.

"We have seen dramatic improvement in these hospitals in a very short period of time," said Judy Tupper, project director from the Muskie school. "Our team was able to introduce new procedures and state-of-the-art technology--such as personal digital assistant devices (PDAs) for clinicians--to small rural hospitals that may not otherwise have the resources to make such improvements."

This project is designed for replication in rural hospitals in any state. Dissemination of project results is underway through regional, state and national forums and publications. More information about the project is available on the USM Muskie School Web site at http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/.

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