Denver Health Office of Research

🧠 Acute ear infections are the number one reason children receive antibiotics, yet most prescriptions are longer than guidelines recommend. A new meta-analysis led by Denver Health's Timothy C. Jenkins, MD, with colleagues across the U.S. and Canada, examined 425 studies to quantify how much unnecessary antibiotic exposure could be avoided by following established guidelines. Across millions of pediatric visits, the analysis found: 📊 107 million antibiotic days are prescribed annually in the U.S. for acute otitis media 📘 Following American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines could reduce antibiotic use by 54 percent 📉 Following NICE guidelines could reduce use by 70 percent ⏱️ Watchful waiting and short-course prescriptions were the most effective strategies for reducing excess use Antibiotic stewardship helps clinicians protect children from unnecessary medication exposure. Read the review published in Children MDPI: https://lnkd.in/gV3fjm3u

🩺 Rare procedures demand reliable skills. Simulation is how clinicians build them. A new study from Denver Health's emergency medicine physician Maria Moreira, MD and others at University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine shows how a simulation-based mastery learning curriculum dramatically improved competence with gastroesophageal balloon tamponade, a life-saving emergency procedure used when bleeding cannot be controlled. 📖 Read the study in CHEST: https://lnkd.in/gr2vjyq5 Using 3D-printed models, structured deliberate practice, and clear minimum passing standards, pulmonary and critical care fellows improved their confidence, knowledge, and procedural skill. Every participant reached competence after training. Six-month follow-up showed that skills faded over time, which reinforces what learning health systems already know: practice and retraining keep patients safe. #learninghealthsystem #ERresearch #officeofresearch

🌟It's Friday again! 📘Last week we shared how Denver Health Lean Academy helps us build better systems for Denver Health's research, education and care. (See the post about our Lean-driven National Science Foundation (NSF) grant https://lnkd.in/gKiTtr_E.) 🎥 Today, senior Lean coach Hung (Leo) Vuong, MBA, EMCC-EIA, LSS-BB, PMP shows what that mission looks like on a personal level. Thirteen years ago, Leo’s mother received life-saving care at Colorado’s only safety-net hospital. That experience shaped his commitment to bringing Lean principles to Denver Health so we can reduce waste, strengthen reliability, and improve care for patients like his mom. Watch Leo’s story in our #learninghealthseries YouTube series. https://lnkd.in/gbzEGCrc

💡 Last week we shared how a learning health system relies on real-world data to improve care. https://lnkd.in/gu2KwQxc Today's study, authored by Denver Health's Gannon Sungar and others from University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine shows exactly what that looks like inside an emergency department. Teams from clinical operations, analytics and implementation science redesigned their documentation process so everyone caring for a patient contributed to one shared note, rather than separate individual notes. Using LHS methods, the team found that: • Staff knowledge and confidence with the workflow were high • Acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility all scored strongly • Note completion during a shift improved from 32 percent to 48 percent, helping reduce after-hours documentation Studies like this show how small, well-tested workflow changes can reduce burnout, strengthen data quality, and support more coordinated care across clinical teams. Read the study: https://lnkd.in/gheX5fiB

🩺 Science is still building the long-term picture of COVID-19 recovery and a new study from Denver Health offers important insight. A multicenter team, including Denver Health researcher Lindsey E. Fish MD, FCUCM and others from University of Colorado Anschutz followed nearly 10,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Colorado and Utah. Among those who survived to discharge, inpatient remdesivir was associated with a 27 percent lower risk of long-term mortality (up to 2.5 years of follow-up), along with fewer rehospitalizations and ED visits. ➡️Understanding which treatments have durable benefits helps us improve post-COVID care and guide clinical decisions long after the initial infection. Read the study published in The Link, Springer Nature's BMC Infectious Diseases: https:://https://lnkd.in/gp5_fFFw #learninghealthsystem #Denverhealthresearch

🦵 Most patients who undergo lower extremity fracture surgery recover far more steadily than we often assume. Now, our #learninghealthsystem has generated patient-reported data to show it. A new study led by Denver Health researcher Joshua Parry, MD, published in Springer Nature's European Journal of Ortho Surgery and Traumatology, tracked how quickly patients feel “back to normal” after surgery using a simple patient-reported measure. 📈 📉Across 292 patients, median recovery rose from 40 percent at two weeks to 80 percent by 24 weeks, and pain scores dropped to about 2 out of 10 by the end of that period. Using patient-reported outcomes helps our providers better set expectations, improve shared decision-making and identify patients who may need additional support—especially those requiring unplanned reoperations, who reported lower recovery scores at follow-up. 🔗https://lnkd.in/gY25TKBk Orthopedic Center of Excellence at Denver Health Orthopedic Trauma at Denver Health

🧬 Most adverse drug reactions are preventable if we understand who is at risk before harm occurs. A new white paper coauthored by Denver Health's Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety (RMPDS) Andrew Monte, MD, PhD and others points to a promising path: bringing pharmacogenomic information into the way we detect and investigate medication safety events. Adverse drug reactions remain a major source of avoidable harm. Pharmacogenomic data (which helps explain why people respond differently to the same drug) could strengthen those signals and allow earlier, more precise interventions. The paper, published in Wiley's American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics outlines how integrating pharmacogenomics into pharmacovigilance could improve both individual prescribing and population-level medication safety. Read the paper: https://lnkd.in/dEJ9HP94

Our National Science Foundation (NSF) GRANTED research administration survey results are now live! RAMP Model of Practice co-investigators Amanda Breeden, CRA, Nicole Quartiero, MS, CRA and Leah Emerick and team found out what's working - and what's breaking - in research administration today from 351 respondents at 118 institutions. The findings highlight real challenges around coordination, role clarity, infrastructure, and workforce strain, along with a clear readiness for change. We are so glad to collaborate with Denver Health Lean Academy as we move forward with lasting solutions. 📑Download the report at https://lnkd.in/gpDNicfT and check out our at-a-glance that summarizes it for you 👀

🍂 Happy Friday from the Office of Research at Denver Health! We are always grateful to share the work of our growing research community, and today we’re celebrating our newest Pilot Study Grant Program awardees. This philanthropy-funded program provides up to $35,000 to help researchers launch early-stage projects that strengthen our learning health system and generating early discovery that can grow into externally funded studies and meaningful advances in care. Please join us in congratulating our second-half 2025 awardees: 🌟Pediatrics: Danielle Roberts, MD 🌟Orthopedics: Sean Higinbotham, PhD 🌟OB/GYN: Sydney Archer, MD, MPH 🌟Emergency Medicine: Kathleen Joseph, MD Denver Health Foundation #learninghealthsystem #welovediscovery

A new JAMA Internal Medicine study from Denver Health and University of Colorado Anschutz is a great example of Denver Health's #learninghealthsystem research that takes place alongside our patients. We use research to understand how care can best meet patients where they are. The Navigate-Kidney trial tested how community health workers can support Hispanic and Latino adults receiving dialysis. 🫶 Our researchers found that participants who received this support had modest but meaningful improvements—less fluid buildup between treatments, fewer shortened sessions, and greater confidence managing their care. At Denver Health, studies like this show how listening to and learning with our communities helps us deliver care that’s more effective, equitable and human. 💙 📖 Read the study: https://lnkd.in/gBc3Dd4H #DenverHealthResearch #LearningHealthSystem #CommunityHealthWorkers #HealthEquity #JAMAInternalMedicine Lilia Cervantes Romana Hasnain-Wynia Claudia Camacho