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.
Scherrer JF, Salas J, Grucza R, Wilens T, Quinn PD, Sullivan MD, Rossom RC, Wright E, Piper B, Sanchez K, Lapham G. Prescription stimulant use during long-term opioid therapy and risk for opioid use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend Rep. 2022 Nov 24;5:100122. doi: 10.1016/j.dadr.2022.100122. eCollection 2022 Dec. PubMed
Frost MC, Hawkins EJ, Glass JE, Hallgren KA, Williams EC. Associations between distinct co-occurring substance use disorders and receipt of medications for opioid use disorder in the Veterans Health Administration. J Addict Med. 2023 May-Jun;17(3):278-285. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001095. PubMed
Townsend TN, Hamilton LK, Rivera-Aguirre A, Davis CS, Pamplin JR, Kline D, Rudolph KE, Cerdá M. Use of an inverted synthetic control method to estimate effects of recent drug overdose good samaritan laws, overall and by Black/White race/ethnicity. Am J Epidemiol. 2022 Sep 28;191(10):1783-1791. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwac122. PubMed
Ryan E, Chang Y, Oliver M, Bradley K, Hallgren K. An Alcohol Symptom Checklist identifies high rates of alcohol use disorder in primary care patients who screen positive for depression and high-risk drinking. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Sep 5;22(1):1123. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08408-1. PubMed
Hamilton M, Kwok WS, Mathieson S, Gnjidic D, Deyo R, Ballantyne J, Von Korff M, Blyth F, Christine Lin CW. Opioid deprescribing in patients with chronic non-cancer pain: a systematic review of international guidelines. Pain. 2022 Aug 9. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002746. [Epub 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