2015 November Highlights: New research funding and findings, and shared recognition for global education

New Research Funding

--“To become a nation of women with healthy bladders and reduce high public and private medical care costs, a seismic shift is necessary in how we approach knowledge development about bladder health,” says Associate Professor Janis Miller, PhD, RN, APRN, FAAN. That’s why Dr. Miller will use a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to lead an interdisciplinary team of UM researchers to better understand what makes a healthy bladder beyond simply the absence of disease. The researchers will focus on the knowledge gap between healthy bladders and the prevention of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) such as infection and incontinence. The goal is to develop an evidence base about healthy bladders using mixed method approaches to inform prevention strategies for LUTS. Co–investigators are UMSN's Dr. Lisa Kane Low and Dr. Larry An, U-M Associate Professor Internal Medicine.

Publications

--A U-M-based assessment of recent midwifery practice trends and outcomes appears in the Oct./Dec. 2015 issue of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing. The Retrospective Review of Nurse-Midwifery Care at a Large University Health System “showcases how midwives can develop a model of care to provide quality maternity care to women and their families within a tertiary care hospital setting,” says co-author Lisa Kane Low, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, UMSN associate professor and associate dean for practice and professional graduate studies. The study found that midwives demonstrated leadership in supporting physiologic birth, despite small increases in intervention practices like epidurals, inductions, and cesarean births in the period studied: 1983 to 2013. Dr. Kane Low credits midwives at UMHS for being “willing to collect data about their practice outcomes and processes of care well before quality-improvement initiatives were integrated into the health care environment.” Other authors on the paper are Lee Roosevelt, PhD, CNM, MPH, a UMSN alumna and current clinical assistant professor, and Joanne Motino Bailey, PhD, CNM, a UMSN alumna and current preceptor, faculty member in LSA, and director of the midwifery service at UMHS. 

-- Professor Julia Seng, PhD, CNM, FAAN, is lead author of a new book, Trauma Informed Care in the Perinatal Period, which provides resources to incorporate trauma-informed care and trauma-specific interventions into prenatal care services for women with a history of childhood maltreatment. “Its purpose is to facilitate interprofessional work with pregnant women who have a history of childhood maltreatment to help stop the cycles of abuse and psychiatric vulnerability by helping the new mother,” says Dr. Seng.

--A new policy brief from Associate Professor Olga Yakusheva, PhD, and colleagues examines Medicare reimbursement strategies currently used to align hospital financial incentives with quality of care. In addition, the researchers calculated the potential effects of nursing-sensitive quality indicators on hospital payments. They found a comprehensive approach that combines an emphasis on evidence-based nursing interventions with continued investments in education of hospital nurses, and a commitment to a positive nurse practice environment, is key to becoming a high-value provider.

Global Engagement

--Three UMSN faculty and staff members were recognized for their contributions to global education at a special event during U-M’s International Education Week Celebration. Clinical Instructors Norma Sarkar, MPH, RN, Megan Eagle, MSN, MPH, FNP-BC, and Director of Global Outreach Leslie Dorfman Davis, PhD, were all nominated by students who said they had a positive impact on their global education experience. Eagle was asked to give remarks about her experience leading students in health-care-focused field extensions in Ecuador. Eagle shared that each time, the students are inspired and engaged by learning about a health care system and culture that are different from what they are used to in the United States. Eagle also thanked supporters who provide funding for the experiences to ensure that a diverse group of students are able to have these opportunities. Learn more about global health opportunities through UMSN.

--Dr. Stephen Strobbe, clinical associate professor, recently returned from a visiting professorship at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. At the invitation of the newly appointed Dean Dr. Yajai Sitthimongkol, the program included a lecture about screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for substance use disorders. Based on his 2015 Golden Apple Award and Lecture at U-M, Dr. Strobbe was also asked to present to nursing faculty on effective teaching strategies, and he met with doctoral students and faculty. “This was a positive and productive visit that further strengthened ties between Mahidol University and UMSN, and resulted in specific plans for continued and future collaborations,” he reflected.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

--A week long summit with numerous events was held November 4-13 to support U-M’s renewed initiative to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus and beyond. Events included a community assembly with U-M President Mark Schlissel, panel discussions and interactive workshops. UMSN has a recently formed Diversity Strategic Planning Committee to enhance the recruitment and retention of a diverse nursing faculty, staff and student body. The School of Nursing hosted several events during Diversity Week including a panel discussion focused on health professionals supporting the needs of the LGBT community and other vulnerable populations. 

"The response was overwhelming," says Dr. Patricia Coleman-Burns, chair of the UMSN committee. "Participants including School of Nursing faculty, staff and students and members of the broader UM and local communities expressed appreciation for the information they received.  Many asked for inclusion of LGBT content in the curriculum and in faculty and staff orientations.  One comment that reverberated was that students were expected to know details of various diseases and conditions, but more needed to be placed in the curriculum about the real lives and health issues facing transgender and non-conforming gender and race/ethnic identities."

One of the videos presented during a UMSN event was U-M Adolescent Health Initiative's Voices of Transgender Adolescents in Healthcare: