KPWHRI in the Media

2025

June

Helping patients make informed decisions about weight-loss surgery

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An implementation project led by David Arterburn, MD, MPH, was featured in PCORInsights, the newsletter of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Using results from a PCORI-funded study comparing the benefits and risks of different weight-loss surgeries, the project team updated decision aids, trained clinicians on shared decision-making, and took other steps to support patients in making informed decisions about treatment.

• PCORInsights, June 27
  Bringing shared decision-making to weight-loss surgery (link not available)

Reducing the risk of firearm-related suicide

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Julie Angerhofer, PhD, MPH, discussed the program her team helped develop to reduce firearm-related suicide through risk screening, nonjudgmental firearm safety conversations, and free firearm cable locks for patients at Kaiser Permanente Washington.

• EpicShare, June 16
  Mitigating suicide risk with firearm access screening, open dialogue, and free gun locks

April

Safely prescribing antipsychotic medications to youth

Robert Penfold, PhD, appeared on the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health's podcast to discuss his Safer Use of Antipsychotics in Youth (SUAY) pragmatic trial, which was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

• Mind the Kids podcast, April 28
  Safer use of antipsychotics in youth

Zero Suicide Model reduces suicide rates by 25%

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Gregory Simon, MD, MPH, was the senior author of a large, multistate study that found suicide attempts and deaths were lower after health systems adopted the Zero Suicide Model.

• Medscape, April 23
  Rewriting the role of primary care in suicide prevention

• Associated Press, April 7
  Suicides and attempts fall in health systems implementing the ‘Zero Suicide Model,’ study finds

Tapering analgesics for chronic pain

Paige Wartko, PhD, MPH, who conducts research on opioid use, was interviewed about a new meta-analysis on the outcomes of pain medication tapering conducted by the STIMULUS Research Group.

• Pain Medicine News, April 11
  Tapering analgesics in chronic pain linked to positive outcomes

Suicide care in primary care reduces suicide attempts

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A study led by Julie Angerhofer, PhD, MPH, found that safety planning and risk screening in primary care led to a 25% decrease in the rate of suicide attempts in the 90 days after medical appointments.

• American Journal of Managed Care, April 10
  Collaborative care model offers success in reducing suicide risk, new report finds

March

Reduced-dose chemotherapy more common in older women

Erin Bowles, MPH, led a study finding that older women diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely than younger women to receive chemotherapy doses below the amount recommended in guidelines.

• MedPage Today, March 4
  Erin Bowles on age at breast cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy dose in older women

February

Few EHRs support evidence-based care for unhealthy alcohol use

A study led by Katharine Bradley, MD, MPH, found that electronic health records (EHRs) in primary care practices often don’t adequately support alcohol-related prevention or treatment. 

• AHRQ News Now, Feb. 18
  Major gaps in electronic health records challenge alcohol-related care in primary care

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Media contact

For more on Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute news, please contact:

Bianca DiJulio
bianca.s.dijulio@kp.org
206-660-8333
After-hours media line: 206-448-4056