End-of-life: Researchers seek to learn needs of sickest patients
Researchers at the Department of Research & Evaluation are working to make the final life transitions better for patients and their families. Using analytical analysis, interviews, data queries and more, they aim to find out what people want in their final months and days, and how to improve care ...
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Grant funds work to predict early-stage pancreatic cancer
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Kaiser Permanente a grant to find a way to predict early-stage pancreatic cancer. Leading the project is principal investigator Bechien Wu, MD, MPH, a clinician ...
Research: RSV infection can be deadlier than flu in adults
In many ways, the initial symptoms of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus are indistinguishable. But, research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases last month showed that RSV infection may ...
Mom’s diabetes could influence child’s risk of autism or ADHD
Since publishing in JAMA about strong associations between a mother’s diabetes and autism in 2015, Anny Xiang, PhD, a researcher with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research ...
Use of cholesterol-lowering medications increasing
July 29, 2019According to a study published in the journal Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy, use of cholesterol-lowering statins increased within Kaiser Permanente Southern California after new treatment guidelines called for broader use of the medication to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease. The study documented trends in the use of statin medications and statin dosages at Kaiser Permanente Southern ...Read more...How low is too low? Study highlights serious risks for intensive blood pressure control
December 14, 2018Kaiser Permanente research published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found if patients with hypertension taking prescribed medications experience unusually low blood pressures — systolic blood pressure under 110mmHg — they are twice as likely to experience a fall or faint as patients whose treated blood pressure remains 110mmHg and above. This research is ...Read more...5 questions for Dr. Jean Lawrence
December 14, 2018We asked these 5 questions of Jean M. Lawrence, ScD, MPH, MSSA, senior research scientist with the Department of Research & Evaluation in Southern California. Why did you choose to devote your career to researching ways women and children can live better, healthier lives? I’ve always been interested in women’s and children’s health and started my career working ...Read more...Mom’s diabetes could influence whether her child develops ADHD
October 30, 2018After previously finding strong associations between a mother’s diabetes and her child’s risk of developing autism, Anny Xiang, PhD, a researcher with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation, decided to expand her work and look at other neurological development disorders. In a research article released today in Diabetes Care, she targeted attention deficit hyperactivity ...Read more...5 questions for Dr. Reina Haque
October 23, 2018Reina Haque, PhD, MPH, focuses on cancer epidemiology and survivorship at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. Her latest study, published recently in Ethnicity & Disease examined the risk of breast cancer recurrence in a diverse group of women who received care at Kaiser Permanente.Read more...Researcher studies why it can be hard to get moving
August 29, 2018Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, MBA, is director of Behavioral Research, Kaiser Permanente Department of Research & Evaluation. Her research focuses on physical activity, including the associations between sedentary time and cardiovascular health. Her most recent research, which looked at the access to parks and young women’s physical activity, was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.Read more...Tdap vaccination for pregnant women does not increase risk of autism, study finds
August 13, 2018A Kaiser Permanente study of more than 80,000 children born over a 4-year period showed that the prenatal Tdap vaccination (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) was not associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children. The study was published today in Pediatrics.Read more...Reducing opioids not associated with lower patient satisfaction
June 8, 2018A Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 2,500 patients who used high doses of opioids for at least 6 months showed that reducing their opioid use did not lower their satisfaction with care. The study, “Satisfaction With Care After Reducing Opioids for Chronic Pain,” was published today in The American Journal of Managed Care. “Physicians are often concerned ...Read more...CT scan processing innovations could one day prevent broken bones
April 18, 2018Ordering CT scans is part of Dr. Shireen Fatemi’s daily job. As an endocrinologist at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City, she frequently orders the computed tomography scans to determine the cause of severe stomach aches, back pain, diverticulitis, or other ailments. New technology, though, may soon give those old CT scans a new life. It could one ...Read more...Transgender youth more often diagnosed with mental health conditions
April 16, 2018Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth are diagnosed with mental health conditions much more frequently than young people who identify with the gender they are assigned at birth, according to new Kaiser Permanente research published today in Pediatrics. While this subject has been analyzed in small, specialized, clinic-based studies that rely on self-reported behavior problems, this large cohort ...Read more...