Which veterans have the highest risk of dying by suicide? New study sheds light

In the ongoing effort to reduce the number of veterans who die by suicide, a new study led by Kevin Saulnier, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, identifies key factors that predict whether veterans who received a standardized suicide risk assessment will go on to die by their own hands. The findings could help Veterans Affairs clinicians and others prevent more suicide deaths among veterans in this high-risk category. 

Saulnier

Expert Q&A: Improving opioid management in maternal health

A series of studies led by Alex Peahl, M.D., M.Sc., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, assessed various aspects of postpartum pain management, with the goal of understanding and reducing the risks of opioid prescribing during and after pregnancy. In this Q&A, she discusses the studies' findings and their implications for policy and practice.

Wasteful tests before surgery: Study shows how to reduce them safely

A new study published in JAMA Surgery and guided by senior author Lesly Dossett, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of surgery, shows how hospitals can focus on tests like heart rhythm checks on patients who truly need them, while safely reducing unnecessary testing in others. 

The result: less wasted money and resources for each test, and less wasted time for patients and clinical staff. Dossett co-leads the Michigan Program on Value Enhancement, or MPrOVE, through which the new study was conducted.

Long drives and high costs stand between rural adults and safe surgery

A set of new studies in the Annals of Surgery and JAMA led by Cody Mullens, M.D., M.P.H., an IHPI National Clinician Scholar, reveals that 99 million Americans lacked access to timely, high-quality, and affordable surgical care in 2020, up from 98 million in 2015. Residents of rural areas were most likely to lack access.

NATIONAL POLL ON HEALTHY AGING

The Intersection of Work, Health, and Well-Being

More than two-thirds of those who work after age 50 say that working boosts their physical health, mental health, and/or overall well-being, according to a new report from the U-M National Poll on Healthy Aging. Nearly half (46%) of those who work say that having a sense of purpose is a very important reason for continuing to work.