School of nursing news

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Innovate 4 Change awardees fill a critical gap in community maternal health education

Mar 25, 2022

In fall of 2021, the inaugural Innovate 4 Change event hosted by the U-M School of Nursing Student Innovation Ambassadors brought students from the U-M-Ann Arbor and U-M-Flint campuses together to develop innovative solutions to complex health care problems. The goal of the event was to highlight the knowledge, creativity and skill of student nurses in recognizing and solving health care problems, while learning to work with other disciplines as health care leaders.

Mother Nurture, one of the winning teams comprised of senior nursing students Jessica Carrasco and Brenna James from U-... Read more

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U-M Health again earns nursing’s highest honor through Magnet redesignation

Mar 18, 2022

University of Michigan Health nurses continue to be recognized as among the best in the nation, again receiving the highest honor in nursing.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center announced on March 17 that U-M Health, of Michigan Medicine, achieved Magnet redesignation for the second time. The prestigious Magnet distinction, awarded to less than 10% of U.S. hospitals, recognizes health care organizations for quality patient care and outcomes, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.  

U-M Health achieved its first Magnet designation... Read more

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A third of new moms during early COVID had postpartum depression

Mar 17, 2022

New research from the U-M School of Nursing found that depression in new mothers rose considerably during the pandemic. Before COVID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1 in 8 women experienced postpartum depression, and about 5-7% experienced major depressive symptoms, says lead author Clayton Shuman, U-M assistant professor of nursing.

The study, “Postpartum depression and associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic” appears in BMC Research Notes. It comes from a larger study called “COVID-19 MAMAS (Maternal Attachment, Mood, Ability, and... Read more

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Crowdfunding helps pay the bills during cancer, but at a price

Mar 07, 2022

Crowdfunding has become a means for people with cancer to get help managing the financial impact of their disease. But while there’s relief in paying bills, a new study finds that it comes at a cost.

U-M School of Nursing postdoctoral research fellow Lauren Ghazal, Ph.D., MS, FNP-BC, and a team of researchers surveyed 46 young adult cancer survivors who sought financial support from friends and family during cancer treatment. The survey asked survivors to describe both their experience with and their thoughts about crowdfunding. Results published in the Journal of... Read more

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More adults are falling every year, despite prevention efforts

Feb 24, 2022

Falls are a leading cause of hospitalization and institutionalization for older adults in the U.S. and fall prevention efforts are an important part of geriatric education and health.

Yet, a new University of Michigan study found that despite prevention efforts, falls increase by about 1.5% annually, with wide variations in incidence based on geography.

“It could be that efforts aren’t working–or that they are, by mitigating even worse potential injury risk in the population,” said Geoffrey Hoffman, assistant professor at the U-M School of Nursing and co-author of the... Read more

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Pandemic pregnancy: Increased anxiety, distress, but also a few surprise benefits

Feb 17, 2022

A new University of Michigan study found that moms who were pregnant and gave birth during the first six months of COVID-19 reported more distress and anxiety, but also some surprising benefits of enforced alone time, said first author Clayton Shuman, assistant professor at the U-M School of Nursing.

The study, appearing in Maternal and Child Health Journal, is the first known to describe the lived experiences of postpartum women in the United States who delivered an infant during the early pandemic. It’s part of the larger COVID M.A.M.A.S. (Maternal Attachment, Mood, Ability... Read more

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Domestic violence levels remained flat in Michigan during early pandemic, but abuse was worse

Feb 09, 2022

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, media reports warned of skyrocketing domestic violence.

While the overall prevalence of domestic violence in Michigan didn’t increase, survivors of intimate partner violence experienced new, more frequent or more severe violence during the early months of the pandemic, a University of Michigan study found.

U-M researchers surveyed 1,169 Michigan women and transgender/nonbinary individuals from June to August 2020 about changes in prevalence, severity and correlates to intimate partner violence.

Roughly 1 in 7 Michigan women and... Read more

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Building Health through Housing Sustainability

Feb 07, 2022

Written 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

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Healthcare's Great Communicators

Feb 07, 2022

In 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

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The Road to Maternal Health

Feb 07, 2022

Read 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

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