2024 Annual Report

In the media: What kind and when is the right breast cancer screening for me? Kitsap Sun, July 20

Suicide attempts decreased after adding suicide care to primary care

After suicide care was integrated into routine primary care visits, KPWHRI researchers found a 25% decrease in the rate of suicide attempts in the 90 days following these visits. The study is the first to show that suicide risk screening in primary care, followed by safety planning, improved suicide prevention efforts in a health care setting.

In the media: Implementation of suicide care in primary care cuts rate of suicide attempts, Physician’s Weekly, Oct. 1

Mapping Alzheimer’s at the cellular level for new treatment targets

Researchers from the Allen Institute for Brain Science, UW Medicine, and KPWHRI have created the most detailed picture yet of how Alzheimer’s disease progresses at the cellular level. The study analyzed over 3.4 million cells from 84 donated brains, most from Kaiser Permanente Washington members in the Adult Changes in Thought Study (ACT Study).

In the media: Alzheimer’s research advances with Kaiser Permanente Partnership, KCPQ-TV Seattle, Oct. 23

When is Paxlovid right for COVID-19 treatment?

Paxlovid is recommended as a COVID-19 treatment for adults who are at high risk of severe complications. Thanks to a new predictive model, care teams and patients at Kaiser Permanente Washington can now use real-time data on individual risk factors and potential side effects to help guide their decision-making. The model was developed by KPWHRI’s Center for Accelerating Care Transformation (ACT Center).

Study sheds light on needs of young people with cancer

A KPWHRI study provided some of the most comprehensive information to date on potential care gaps for young cancer survivors. The study found that rates of emergency department use within 5 years of a cancer diagnosis were higher for those who had public insurance and were between 20 and 24 years old, female, and Black. Colorectal cancer and cervical cancer diagnoses were also associated with higher rates of emergency department use compared with other cancer diagnoses.

In the media: Emergency department use common among AYA cancer survivors, Cure, May 10

Bariatric surgery linked to lower risk of blood clots long-term

KPWHRI led the largest study to date exploring the long-term risk of blood clots in veins (venous thromboembolism) among adults with severe obesity who had weight-loss surgery. Patients who had surgery had a substantially lower risk of blood clots 1 and 5 years after their surgery than those who didn’t have the surgery.

In the media: Bariatric surgery-associated VTE risk decreases in long term, Medscape, June 17

Single question helps identify patients at higher risk of cannabis use disorder

A KPWHRI study evaluated the use of a screening tool in primary care settings that asks patients one question — how often they used cannabis in the last year. The responses can be used by clinical teams to help patients understand their risk of cannabis use disorder and to determine which patients might benefit from further screening.

Intervention supporting unhoused patients shows promise

Samaritan, a digital health intervention designed to assist individuals at risk for or experiencing homelessness, showed promising results in a pilot evaluated by KPWHRI’s Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE). Notably, CCHE found that Samaritan benefited both the people experiencing homelessness who took part in the program as well as the health care system, which saw reduced costs.