December Highlights

 

-- New findings from University of Michigan School of Nursing (UMSN) Assistant Professor Deena Kelly Costa, PhD, RN, highlight the benefit of nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) care in intensive care units (ICUs). Dr. Costa and colleagues examined the association between NP/PA staffing and in-hospital mortality for ICU patients. They found consistent results supporting that NPs/PAs appear to be a safe adjunct to the ICU team and care of critically ill patients. “Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Staffing and Critical Care Mortality” is published in the December 2014 issue of CHEST Journal, the official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Costa also was invited to blog about the findings for the Thought Leaders section of CHEST.org.

 

--Dean Kathleen Potempa, PhD, RN, FAAN, continued vigorous support of Michigan Senate Bill 2 with an editorial in the Detroit News. “Lawmakers shouldn’t neglect nurses” supports legislation that would define practice for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). Dean Potempa urges lawmakers to take action before the end of the 2014 legislative term and pass SB2, to best serve patients and health care providers by increasing access to high quality care and easing the strained health care system.

 

--Members of the UMSN community (including faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends) are invited to submit poster abstracts on nursing and health science topics for 2015 Dean’s Research Day. Poster abstracts are due by Jan. 12. Dean’s Research Day will be held March 30, 2015 at U-M’s North Campus Research Complex. Registration is also now open for all who wish to attend. The annual event showcases nursing research, provides opportunities to explore potential collaborations. For 2015, there will be presentations focused on the theme “From Molecules to Community: The Science of Pain.” This year’s Brouse Lecture keynote speaker is Susan G. Dorsey, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean of Research at University of Maryland School of Nursing.

 

--Robust media attention is bringing awareness to practitioners and parents with findings that teens prescribed medications like sleep and anxiety drugs are more likely to abuse them later. The study, led by Carol Boyd, PhD, RN, FAAN, UMSN’s Deborah J. Oakley Professor of Nursing, is published in the American Psychological Association journal Psychology of Addictive Behavior. The research from Dr. Boyd and colleagues indicates that teens prescribed certain medications are up to 12 times more likely to abuse those drugs than teens that never had a prescription. The findings, reported by U-M’s News Service, received national attention in publications such as The Huffington Post and Fox News, as well as numerous regional and local outlets.

 

--“The more we as caregivers become open to identifying and discussing depression's causes and symptoms, the sooner we can begin to erase the stigma,” writes Bonnie Hagerty, PhD, RN, UMSN’s Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, in Advance for Nurses. “Depression Is Everywhere: How to Spot the Signs and Take Action” shares warning signs of depressions and guidance for people concerned that a loved one may be suffering from the illness.

 

--A UMSN task force is bringing attention to the contributions, and ways to quantify those contributions, from nursing clinical track faculty.  “Scholarly Productivity for Nursing Clinical Track Faculty” is published in Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing.  The UMSN researchers note how the role and offerings of clinical track faculty have expanded, including in diversity of scholarly products. The results are intended to guide faculty, reviewers and decision makers about scholarly productivity. Authors:   Dana Tschannen, PhD, RN, Christine Anderson, PhD, RN, Stephen Strobbe, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, CARN-AP, Esther Bay, PhD, ACN BC, April Bigelow, PhD, ANP-BC, Chin Hwa (Gina) Y. Dahlem, PhD, FNP-C, Ann K. Gosselin, MS, RN, CEN, CPEN, Jennifer Pollard, M.Ed, B.A, Julia S. Seng, PhD, CNM, FAAN.

 

--Efforts to increase neighborhood walking in older adults may need to be tailored differently for men and women according to new findings from Clinical Assistant Professor Nancy Ambrose Gallagher, PhD, APRN-BC, and colleagues. Neighborhood walking can be a significant component of physical activity for older adults but little is known about factors that may create differences in men and women.  Using a sample of more than 300 adults over age 60, the researchers found women were more likely to walk if they had a destination such as a friend’s home. Men were more influenced by the characteristics of the neighborhood such as sidewalks and crime rates.  In addition, the researchers suggest “self-efficacy enhancing interventions for women may need to focus on self-efficacy for physical activity despite individual barriers; those for men may need to focus on overcoming neighborhood barriers.” “Gender Differences in Neighborhood Walking in Older Adults” is published in the Journal of Aging and Health.

 

-Reasons for peer violence and the association between substance youth and violence were examined by UMSN Associate Professor Sarah Stoddard, PhD, and colleagues.  Using daily calendar-based analyses among at-risk urban youth, the researchers found variations in victimization and aggression in substance abuse (alcohol and cocaine) as well as gender differences in reasons for violence. The findings also show a “positive within day” association between aggression and use of alcohol, opiates, and sedatives, but no within day association between aggression and marijuana use. The researchers believe their findings suggest prevention strategies for youth should include tailored peer violence interventions to address unique reasons for violence among males and females, and the use of alcohol and other substances before and after violence incidents.

 

-- Clinical Assistant Professor Barbara Freeland, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CDE, authored “Holiday Health: 10 Simple Tips for Your Diabetes” for Diabetes Daily. She shares tips for enjoying the holidays while managing diabetes.

 

--English competency exams may be inadequate, according to new findings from Associate Professor Barbara Brush PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, UMSN’s Carol J. and F. Edward Lake Term Clinical Professor. Dr. Brush and colleagues surveyed more than 1,600 nurses working in nearly 100 nursing homes across the country.  They found that accents may present difficulty even when the parties involved are speaking the same language. About 15% of the nurses said their English proficiency or accent created problems with patients, family members and/or colleagues.  One of the more significant results found that communication problems were about the same for nurses born and educated in another country compared to those born abroad but educated in the United States.  The study was published in Geriatric Nursing and reported on in McKnight’s Long Term Care News.

 

 

--The newest issue of UMSN’s Nursing Matters is available now. The newsletter highlights UMSN faculty, students, and alumni excelling in leadership positions across the country and beyond. Other features include nursing students who served as interns for the U-M Health System implementation of its electronic health system, an update on UMSN’s new academic building, and new financial and academic programs designed to improve students’ education.