School of nursing news
Healthcare's Great Communicators
Feb 07, 2022In a recent study, Assistant Professor Sheria Robinson-Lane, Ph.D., RN, MHA, and her team showed that Black COVID-19 patients received less medical follow-up, longer delays returning to work and higher rates of hospital readmissions. The findings come from the kind of research Robinson-Lane has built her career on, highlighting the health disparities faced by far too many and presenting novel solutions to improve care for the most vulnerable. With new tools and approaches she’s developed in a unique U-M faculty fellowship, Robinson-Lane is working to engage a broader audience — including... Read more
Building Health through Housing Sustainability
Feb 07, 2022Written by Jaime Meyers, read the original story in the Summer 2019 edition of Panacea.
It may be common sense to most health care professionals that safe, stable housing is a social determinant of health. However, supporting science is only nascent. Two UMSN faculty members are leading synergistic efforts to build the body of evidence through a series of research projects in collaboration with community and academic partners.
“Nurses not only should, but must be part of the research with homeless individuals and families,” said Barbara L. Brush, Ph.D., ANPBC, FAAN,... Read more
The Road to Maternal Health
Feb 07, 2022Read the original story in the Summer 2018 edition of Panacea.
Imagine labor begins and you are at home, miles away from a health facility.
Now imagine a complication. Rather than calling 911, your attendant has to send a neighbor to find your husband who is working in a field 30 minutes away, entirely unaware that you’ve gone into labor. She needs his help and permission to move you to the nearest clinic.
Upon returning to your home, your husband helps the attendant secure you in a hammock-like carrier. He handles one end and the neighbor handles the other.... Read more
Maternity health care workers expressed anguish, questioned roles early in pandemic
Feb 07, 2022In general, the challenges of being a health care provider and the risks for potential COVID-19 infection are acknowledged, but it’s less clear how COVID risk mitigation strategies in hospitals impact maternity health care workers.
To that end, researchers from the University of Michigan School of Nursing including Lisa Kane Low, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM, FAAN and the Obstetrics Initiative at Michigan Medicine asked nurses, physicians and midwives across Michigan, “How has COVID-19 impacted your work?”
The answers showed deeper levels of anguish and fear than was anticipated and... Read more
The Pandemic Has Made Many Seniors Less Active
Feb 07, 2022A University of Michigan team surveyed about 2,000 American adults aged 50 to 80 in early 2021, asking about their activity levels.
It found that almost 40 percent of those over 65 reported both reduced physical activity and less daily time spent on their feet since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. In this representative national sample, those factors were associated with worsened physical conditioning and mobility.
“It’s a cascade of effects,” said Geoffrey Hoffman, a health-services researcher at the university’s School of Nursing and the lead author of the... Read more
Lockdowns during early pandemic saved lives, but not a go-to strategy moving forward
Jan 24, 2022The U.S. pandemic lockdown in 2020 caused a $2.3 trillion economic downturn and split the nation politically, and now some European nations are locking down again as Omicron surges through the global population.
But do these drastic measures save lives? Are they worth massive job and income losses?
A new University of Michigan-led study shows the early lockdowns implemented in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic saved lives–but the decision to use lockdowns is much more nuanced and the research shouldn’t be used to justify lockdowns now or to retroactively endorse... Read more
Neonatal hospitalization leaves parents feeling isolated, separated during pandemic
Jan 21, 2022Emotional exhaustion, isolation and “nonsensical” visitor and other hospital policies contributed to parents of children hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units feeling less satisfied with care during the early days of COVID-19.
Research from the University of Michigan School of Nursing, Marquette University and University of Nebraska Medical Center examined the family impact and financial well-being of 178 parents whose infants were hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units between Feb. 1 and July 31, 2020, during the early period of COVID-19.
Parents reported... Read more
Vaccine mandate will likely have little impact on health care worker staffing shortage
Jan 12, 2022The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing challenges to a Biden administration vaccine mandate that requires eligible employees in Medicare or Medicaid-funded facilities to get vaccinated or receive an exemption.
The law takes effect Jan. 27 in 25 states including Michigan–the other 25 states have challenged the law in court. It will be phased in over several months.
Sheria Robinson-Lane, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, is an expert in palliative and long-term care and nursing administration. Her research focuses on the care and support of older... Read more
Prescription drug misuse later in life greatly increases risk for substance use disorder
Jan 05, 2022Nearly half of people in a large U.S. study reported misusing prescription drugs between ages 18-50, which made them more likely to develop substance use disorder symptoms as adults––especially those whose misuse peaked later in life.
The new study from University of Michigan School of Nursing researchers recommends screening for prescription drug misuse and substance use disorder from adolescence through middle adulthood. Currently, the recommendation is to screen adults for unhealthy drug use in some instances, but not adolescents.
“The findings of the current study add to... Read more
New learning tool: Click a button and dive under the skin of chemotherapy patients
Dec 23, 2021A team of faculty from the University of Michigan Center of Academic Innovation, School of Nursing and College of Pharmacy designed an innovative way to teach nursing and pharmacy students about the intricacies of chemotherapy.
Led by Michelle Aebersold, clinical professor of nursing, the group created Under the Skin, a virtual reality experience that guides students on handling high-risk complications when giving chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer.
Their goal is to show how to safely administer anti-cancer drugs, handle urgent situations and get students to deeply understand... Read more
