Research on health informatics at Kaiser Permanente Washington focuses on developing and using health information technology (IT) to transform health care delivery. By testing new paradigms of care that provide more opportunities to engage patients, this research is supplying valuable evidence that is helping shape federal policy and guiding innovative redesign of health care.
“We’re working to understand how to make health IT practical so patients and care teams find it useful and engaging,” explained Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) Senior Investigator James Ralston, MD, MPH. “We want to find ways to use information technologies to support patients and providers together, both inside and outside the office.”
Integral to this support is designing technologies that are user-friendly and meet the needs of both patients and providers. By applying human-centered methods that focus on needs, use, and usability, KPWHRI researchers inform the design of health IT with direct participation from users.
Groundbreaking methodological work by KPWHRI health informatics researchers includes developing natural language processing (NLP) to analyze text such as notes and written reports in electronic health records (EHRs). Assistant Investigator David Carrell, PhD, leads in the area of using NLP and machine learning to identify patient phenotypes, or specific health characteristics such as possible heart disease, risk of opioid overdose, or suggestion of colon cancer. This information can assist researchers in studying how genetics and other factors influence disease.
Other examples of KPWHRI health informatics research include projects using EHRs and secure electronic communications such as:
Examples of KPWHRI research in mobile health (mHealth) and user-centered design include:
“Our studies on using health IT to improve care are showing that we can achieve better outcomes when we shift care from the doctor’s office to where people live: in their homes—and online,” said Senior Investigator Beverly B. Green, MD, MPH.
Bulger EM, Schmidt TA, Cook AJ, Brasel KJ, Griffiths DE, Kudenchuk PJ, Davis D, Bardarson B, Idris AH, Aufderheide TP, Investigators TR. The random dialing survey as a tool for community consultation for research involving the emergency medicine exception from informed consent. Ann Emerg Med. 2009 Mar;53(3):341-50, 350.e1-2. Epub 2008 Sep 27. PubMed
Tufano JT, Ralston JD, Martin DP. Providers' experience with an organizational redesign initiative to promote patient-centered access: a qualitative study. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;23(11):1778-83. Epub 2008 Sep 4. PubMed
Conrad D, Fishman P, Grembowski D, Ralston J, Reid R, Martin D, Larson E, Anderson M. Access intervention in an integrated, prepaid group practice: effects on primary care physician productivity. Health Serv Res. 2008;43(5 Pt 2):1888-905. Epub 2008 Jul 25. PubMed
Von Korff M, Crane PK, Alonso J, Vilagut G, Angermeyer MC, Bruffaerts R, de Girolamo G, Gureje O, de Graaf R, Huang Y, Iwata N, Karam EG, Kovess V, Lara C, Levinson D, Posada-Villa J, Scott KM, Ormel J. Modified WHODAS-II provides valid measure of global disability but filter items increased skewness. J Clin Epidemiol. 2008;61(11):1132-43. Epub 2008 Jul 10. PubMed
Green BB, Cook AJ, Ralston JD, Fishman PA, Catz SL, Carlson J, Carrell D, Tyll L, Larson EB, Thompson RS. Effectiveness of home blood pressure monitoring, Web communication, and pharmacist care on hypertension control: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008;299(24):2857-67. PubMed
James D. Ralston, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
Jennifer B. McClure, PhDDirector, Investigative Science |
Beverly B. Green, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
Paula Lozano, MD, MPHSenior Investigator; Director, ACT Center |
Yates Coley, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
Annie Hoopes, MD, MPHActing Assistant Investigator |
Claire Allen, MPHManager, Collaborative Science |
Annie Piccorelli, PhDSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |