Research Highlights

PORTAL-Depression Study

PI: Dr. Neda Laiteerapong

This pragmatic trial tested whether inviting patients to complete depression screenings through the patient portal would improve case detection compared to standard in-clinic screening. Among 2,713 adult patients, those in the portal-based population health arm had higher screening completion (43% vs. 33%) and a higher rate of positive screens (10% vs. 4%) compared to usual care. The findings suggest that digital outreach can extend screening to patients who are less engaged in regular primary care, especially younger adults and those with moderate-to-severe symptoms.

The UC-PBRN supported this trial by facilitating the integration of the depression screener into clinical workflows and the EHR, aligning the study design with clinic operations, and coordinating provider engagement across multiple care teams.

Published in The Journal of General Internal Medicine

CommunityRx – Hunger

PI: Dr. Stacy Lindau

This randomized clinical trial evaluated whether providing caregivers of hospitalized children with personalized community resource referrals (via CommunityRx) would affect their experience of discrimination or satisfaction with care. Among 637 caregivers, most of whom were low-income and Black, one-third reported food insecurity and half reported discrimination during hospitalization. The intervention did not increase perceived discrimination, supporting the acceptability of low-intensity, universally delivered social care assistance in hospital settings.

The UC-PBRN facilitated workflows and partnered with pediatric hospital units to embed the intervention into routine care without disrupting discharge processes. The PBRN also provided consultation on study design and helped coordinate between the research team, hospital leadership, and clinic staff to support study implementation and data collection.

Published in JAMA Pediatrics