The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes, and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large. We seek to understand the determinants of illness and well-being, and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR’s 550-plus staff is working on more than 350 epidemiological and health services research projects.
Rates of diagnosed diabetes are much higher among some Asian subgroups than is apparent when aggregating all Asians as a whole, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and the University of California,…
DOR researchers found that the use of electronic health records at 17 Northern California medical centers was associated with significant improvements in diabetes care and outcomes. Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study demonstrated that electronic health records…
Depression in patients with diabetes is associated with a substantively increased risk of development of dementia compared to those with diabetes alone, according to Andrew Karter, PhD and Rachel Whitmer, PhD. The researchers collaborated with the University of Washington on…
Jenna Burton, a research associate for the Division of Research on a gestational diabetes study, founded a bicycling group for East Bay African-Americans called Red Bike & Green. Her family history of diabetes has spurred her to pursue a healthy…
Researchers at the Division of Research have conducted recently published observational research that underscores the importance of reducing the risk of diabetes during pregnancy — also called gestational diabetes (GDM). GDM, glucose intolerance that typically occurs during the second or…
A wanted pregnancy is among life’s most joyful events. But for about 7 percent of expectant mothers in the United States pregnancy brings the unexpected diagnosis of gestational diabetes. While the exact cause of gestational diabetes, a temporary condition, remains…
Kaiser Permanente’s integrated care model helps researchers in this study. Pre-pregnancy, during-pregnancy and after-pregnancy care are all received by participants at the same Kaiser Permanente facility, with access to the same electronic medical records. For more about the Division of Research’s new…
Comparative effectiveness research is a big term for a simple idea. How do health care providers like Kaiser Permanente decide which treatment for a problem is best? The National Institutes of Health, as part of its goal to help health…
For the vast majority of women with gestational diabetes, good pre- and postnatal health care, including watching diet and weight, ensures that the condition is only temporary. But for a small number of women, the diabetes can become permanent or…
When patients cannot talk with doctors about diabetes in their own language, even when interpreter services are available, poorer diabetes outcomes may be the result. These were the findings of a recent study by researchers at the Division of Research…
