James Ralston MD, MPH, is an internal medicine physician and senior investigator in health services and health informatics. His research mission is improving the health and care of patients living with common ongoing illnesses. His current areas of emphasis include understanding and honoring the priorities of patients living with multiple chronic conditions.
Dr. Ralston’s research focuses on developing and evaluating communication technologies that foster continuous care and a closer connection between patients and primary care teams. His commitment to finding effective ways to redesign care spans all stages of research, from project development to complete translation of results into clinical practice.
Examples of Dr. Ralston’s research projects include:
Dr. Ralston is also a University of Washington affiliate professor in health services and biomedical informatics, where he serves on the committees of PhD and master’s degree students.
eHealth; hypertension; diabetes
Health informatics; hypertension; diabetes; health behaviors; multiple chronic conditions
Self-management support
Health care disparities
Vodicka E, Mejilla R, Leveille SG, Ralston JD, Darer JD, Delbanco T, Walker J, Elmore JG. Online access to doctors' notes: patient concerns about privacy. J Med Internet Res. 2013 Sep 26;15(9):e208. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2670. PubMed
Fishman PA, Cook AJ, Ralston JD, Anderson M, Catz SL, Carrell D, Carlson J, Larson EB, Green BB. Improving BP control through electronic communications: an economic evaluation. Am J Manag Care. 2013;19(9):709-16. PubMed
Green BB, Anderson ML, Ralston JD, Catz SL, Cook AJ. Blood pressure 1 year after completion of web-based pharmacist care. JAMA Intern Med. 2013 Jul 8;173(13):1250-2. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.1037. Epub 2013 May 20. PubMed
Lyles CR, Grothaus L, Reid RJ, Sarkar U, Ralston JD. Communication about diabetes risk factors during between-visit encounters. Am J Manag Care. 2012;18(12):807-15. PubMed
McInnes DK, Brown JA, Hays RD, Gallagher P, Ralston JD, Hugh M, Kanter M, Serrato CA, Cosenza C, Halamka J, Ding L, Cleary PD. Development and evaluation of CAHPS questions to assess the impact of health information technology on patient experiences with ambulatory care. Med Care. 2012;50 Suppl:S11-9. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e3182610a50. PubMed
Delbanco T, Walker J, Bell SK, Darer JD, Elmore JG, Farag N, Feldman HJ, Mejilla R, Ngo L, Ralston JD, Ross SE, Trivedi N, Vodicka E, Leveille SG. Inviting patients to read their doctors' notes: a quasi-experimental study and a look ahead. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157(7):461-70. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-157-7-201210020-00002. PubMed
Grembowski D, Anderson ML, Ralston JD, Martin DP, Reid R. Does a large-scale organizational transformation toward patient-centered access change the utilization and costs of care for patients with diabetes? Med Care Res Rev. 2012 Oct;69(5):519-39. Epub 2012 May 31. PubMed
Silverberg M, Leyden W, Stewart C, Ralston J, Horberg M, Carzasty S, Grothaus L, Catz S. Change in adherence to antiretrovirals after initial use of an electronic shared medical record among HIV-infected individuals. Clin Med Res. 2012;10(3):144-5. PubMed
Lyles CR, Harris LT, Jordan L, Grothaus L, Wehnes L, Reid RJ, Ralston JD. Patient race/ethnicity and shared medical record use among diabetes patients. Med Care. 2012 May;50(5):434-40. PubMed
Leveille SG, Walker J, Ralston JD, Ross SE, Elmore JG, Delbanco T. Evaluating the impact of patients' online access to doctors' visit notes: designing and executing the OpenNotes project. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2012 Apr 13;12:32. PubMed
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