Kaiser Permanente Washington researchers are exploring how to improve prevention and treatment of health issues due to alcohol and other drug use. The addictions research group conducts innovative research to help patients and their providers prevent and treat problems caused by alcohol, cannabis, opioids, and other drugs in health settings.
A major focus of the addictions research group is how to integrate patient-centered care for alcohol and other drug use into medical settings. For more than 3 decades, their work has focused on the need for health systems to routinely measure and address alcohol and other drug use as part of whole-person health, in nonjudgmental, patient-centered ways.
"Our alcohol-related research has built tools — such as a brief video, handout, and a patient decision aid — that help overcome stigma so that patients and families can find the help they want and need," said Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPH, a senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) and internal medicine physician with Washington Permanente Medical Group.
The addictions research group is conducting a variety of studies to improve measures and documentation of substance use in the medical record. "We are working to find ways to easily document the extent of cannabis exposure for both medical and nonmedical use in electronic health records," said Gwen Lapham, PhD, MSW, a KPWHRI assistant investigator. Finding innovative ways to provide treatment is also a focus. "We are testing how to get proven online treatments for addiction into the hands of patients who could benefit," said Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSW, a KPWHRI associate investigator whose research at the institute is funded in part by an early-career award to study the effectiveness of treatments for alcohol use disorders in primary care.
These are among the group’s current studies:
These are among the studies that the addictions research group has completed:
The SPARC trial successfully implemented behavioral health care into primary care. On our website, you can access tools for behavioral health integration, as well as frequently asked questions and publications.
Berger D, Lapham GT, Shortreed SM, Hawkins EJ, Rubinsky AD, Williams EC, Achtmeyer CE, Kivlahan DR, Bradley KA. Increased rates of documented alcohol counseling in primary care: more counseling or just more documentation? J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Mar;33(3):268-274. doi: 10.1007/s11606-017-4163-2. Epub 2017 Oct 18. PubMed
Williams EC, Gupta S, Rubinsky AD, Jones-Webb R, Bensley KM, Young JP, Hagedorn H, Gifford E, Harris AH. Racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of clinically recognized alcohol use disorders among patients from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2016;40(2):359-66. doi: 10.1111/acer.12950. PubMed
Glass JE, Hamilton AM, Powell BJ, Perron BE, Brown RT, Ilgen MA. Specialty substance use disorder services following brief alcohol intervention: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Addiction. 2015 Sep;110(9):1404-15. doi: 10.1111/add.12950. Epub 2015 Jun 3. PubMed
McNeely J, Hamilton L. Screening for unhealthy alcohol and drug use in general medicine settings. Med Clin North Am. 2022 Jan;106(1):13-28. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2021.08.002. PubMed
Heffner JL, McClure JB. Commentary on Graham et al.: biochemical verification of abstinence in remotely conducted smoking cessation trials should not be a universal design requirement for rigor. Addiction. 2022 Jan 26. doi: 10.1111/add.15803. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Jennifer F. Bobb, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSWAssociate Investigator |
Clarissa Hsu, PhDAssociate Investigator |
Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSWAssistant Investigator |
Jennifer B. McClure, PhDDirector, Investigative Science |
Julie E. Richards, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHSenior Collaborative Scientist |
Yu-Ru Su, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Leah K. Hamilton, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
Noorie Hyun, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Jess Mogk, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
Morgan Justice, MACollaborative Scientist |
Theresa E. Matson, PhD, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
Kevin Hallgren, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Washington
Emily Williams, PhD, MPH
Investigator
Health Services Research & Development
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
Edwin Wong, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Health Services and Population Health
University of Washington