IHPI Informs - July/August 2021

July/August 2021

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Groundbreaking research, innovation,

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Tracking COVID-19 in Michigan:

Online Tools to Support Data-Driven Public Health Responses

A multidisciplinary U-M team, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, developed a series of COVID-19 data tracking tools to inform public health responses in Michigan throughout the pandemic.

Read the IHPI Brief

Watch the webinar

Read the Twitter thread

Improving access to primary and pain care for patients taking opioids for chronic pain in Michigan

Recent state and federal policies have focused on reducing prescribing of opioids in an effort to combat the opioid epidemic. However, such policies may unintentionally restrict care for millions of Americans who receive long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. In this IHPI brief, U-M researchers examine barriers to primary and specialty care for patients taking opioids for chronic pain and outline a series of policy options to improve access.

Read the IHPI Brief

U-M experts examine barriers, develop roadmap to improve health care access for patients taking opioids for chronic pain

Pandemic may have increased older adults’ fall risk, poll suggests

The COVID-19 pandemic may have increased older adults’ risk of falling and injuring themselves. More than a third of people between the ages of 50 and 80 report their physical activity declined in the pandemic’s first 10 months, according to the new findings from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, and many of these adults also reported an increased fear of falling.

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What does the future hold for telehealth? New report gives hints

Chad Ellimoottil, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of urology and director of IHPI's Telehealth Research Incubator, released the new Telehealth Research Snapshots. This report provides policymakers, journalists, healthcare administrators, and others with research insights on population-level impacts of telehealth on healthcare access, costs, quality, and experience.

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U-M/ACOG collaboration results in new national prenatal care guidelines

New guidelines, which stem from a collaboration between the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the University of Michigan through the Michigan Plan for Appropriate, Tailored Healthcare in Pregnancy (MiPATH), recommend individualizing care, incorporating telemedicine, and considering both medical conditions and social and structural determinants that may impact outcomes in routine care delivery. The effort was led by Alex Peahl, M.D., M.Sc., clinical lecturer in obstetrics and gynecology, and head of MiPATH.

In the news

IHPI members making headlines

Major disparities in all-cause mortality during first months of COVID-19 pandemic seen in new study

Deaths from all causes combined increased dramatically early in the COVID-19 pandemic for certain demographic groups in the U.S.—particularly for Black and Hispanic people—even when accounting for socioeconomic factors, according to new research from Sarah Miller, Ph.D., assistant professor of business, and published online by the journal Health Affairs.

From birth control to mammograms, many women missed out on preventive care in 2020

A new study led by Nora Becker, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of internal medicine, shows even after in-person care restarted, women were 20% to 30% less likely to get such services than in 2019, especially those from lower-income and higher-minority areas.

Parents split on whether to vaccinate younger kids against COVID

Parents of children ages 3−11 are almost evenly split on whether to vaccinate kids once the vaccine is available, with 49% saying it’s likely their child will get vaccinated and 51% saying it’s unlikely, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

Malani featured on CNN podcast "Chasing Life"

Preeti Malani, M.D., M.S., M.S.J., professor of internal medicine, was a special guest on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's podcast for CNN Chasing Life. The episode, "Helping Grandma and Grandpa Get Back in the Groove," featured Malani, who is also the director of the National Poll on Healthy Aging, explaining how to best support older adults through the pandemic and beyond.