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.
Hallgren KA, Jack HE, Oliver M, Berger D, Bobb JF, Kivlahan DR, Bradley KA. Changes in alcohol consumption reported on routine healthcare screenings are associated with changes in depression symptoms. Alcohol (Hanover). 2023;47(6):1132-1142. doi: 10.1111/acer.15075. Epub 2023 Jun 16. PubMed
Mogk JM, Matson TE, Caldeiro RM, Garza Mcwethy AM, Beatty T, Sevey BC, Hsu CW, Glass JE. Implementation and workflow strategies for integrating digital therapeutics for alcohol use disorders into primary care: A qualitative study. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2023;18(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s13722-023-00387-w. PubMed
Matson TE, Hallgren KA, Lapham GT, Oliver M, Wang X, Williams EC, Bradley KA. Psychometric performance of a substance use symptom checklist to help clinicians assess substance use disorder in primary care. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(5):e2316283. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16283. PubMed
McClure EA, Hamilton L, Schauer GL, Matson TE, Lapham GT. Cannabis and nicotine co-use among primary care patients in a state with legal cannabis access. Addict Behav. 2023;140:107621. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107621. Epub 2023 Jan 20. PubMed
Harry ML, Sanchez K, Ahmedani BK, Beck AL, Coleman KJ, Coley RY, Daida YG, Lynch FL, Rossom RC, Waring SC, Simon GE. Assessing the differential item functioning of PHQ-9 items for diverse racial and ethnic adults with mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnoses: A retrospective cohort study. J Affect Disord. 2023 Oct 1;338:402-413. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.091. Epub 2023 Apr 29. 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