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Publications

Opioid Timeliness for Children with Sickle Cell Pain in the Emergency DepartmentOpens in a new window

Sep 2, 2025

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) often come to the emergency department (ED) for severe pain, but care can vary across hospitals. This study looked at more than 9,000 ED visits in the U.S. to see whether giving opioid pain medicine quickly affected hospital admissions. Children who received their first dose within 60 minutes were less likely to be hospitalized, and the chance of admission dropped even further when a second dose was given within 30 minutes. These findings highlight the importance of timely pain treatment and suggest that faster opioid delivery can improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary hospital stays for children with SCD.
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Insight into Post-Pandemic Return of Respiratory Viruses in ChildrenOpens in a new window

Aug 6, 2025

A landmark study led by infectious diseases specialists at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus/Children’s Hospital Colorado was recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The article is the first from a multicenter clinical research pilot study run through the National Institutes of Health's Vaccine Research Center’s Pandemic REsponse REpository through Microbial and Immune Surveillance and Epidemiology (PREMISE) program. The PREMISE pilot study conducts immunologic surveillance and data collected from the first year, 2022-2023, provides insight into what was driving the large post-pandemic rebound of common respiratory pathogens in children. Data also allowed for the recreation of past viral circulation patterns and model predictions for future outbreaks with greater accuracy and precision, helping hospitals, health agencies, and policymakers better prepare for future outbreaks.
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Transformation in an Acute Care Therapy DepartmentOpens in a new window

Jul 1, 2025

A large academic acute care therapy department successfully transformed from discipline-based teams to an interdisciplinary service-line structure, achieving measurable improvements in staff productivity, morale, and operational efficiency. Led by IHQSE-trained leaders, this quality improvement project followed Kotter’s 8 Steps for Leading Change and was implemented over the course of a year. Outcomes included improved staff-to-supervisor ratios, direct patient assignments, and an increase in staff engagement. This work offers a blueprint for other health systems navigating growth, burnout, and operational challenges through structured, data-informed change.
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Are Breast Radiology and Pathology Reports Readable?Opens in a new window

Jun 30, 2025

This multi-institutional study analyzed the readability of 120 breast radiology and pathology reports and 194 MedEd educational tools from the University of Colorado and University of Miami. Findings revealed that most clinical reports exceeded a high school reading level, with surgical pathology reports being the most difficult to understand. While MedEd materials were more accessible, they still surpassed the recommended 6th-grade level. These results highlight a persistent gap in health literacy for breast cancer survivors. Future efforts, including AI integration and patient co-design, may help create more understandable materials that support empowerment and shared decision-making.
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IHQSE Highlights

3 Qs for QI | An Interview with Amanda Hoffman, MS, OTR/L, BCPR

Nov 21, 2025

This project restructured an acute care therapy department from siloed discipline-specific teams (OT, PT, SLP) into four interdisciplinary service-line-based teams. Using Kotter’s 8 Steps for Leading Change, leaders improved productivity, staffing equity, and patient assignment consistency, while enhancing staff experience and sustaining operational growth.
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3 Qs for QI | An Interview With Drs. Bajaj and Scott

Aug 5, 2025

Pediatric sepsis is a leading cause of death for children, and an emergency in which timely diagnosis and treatment are lifesaving. This study sought to address a gap in knowledge around approaches to diagnose pediatric sepsis in the earliest stages. In a cluster-randomized trial in four Children’s Hospital Colorado Emergency Departments, this study implemented decision support to predict septic shock and measured its effect on treatment and outcomes. The clinical decision support was developed at Children’s Hospital and the University of Colorado, based on models that use extant EHR data to predict septic shock. This was the first reported prospective, controlled trial of decision support intended to aid in early pediatric sepsis diagnosis and treatment. While papers have previously described implementation of consensus-based tools for sepsis diagnosis, few have been based on derived, validated models, and they have not been prospective trials. We found that implementation of decision support based on machine learning models to predict septic shock was feasible and acceptable to clinicians. However, it did not change the outcomes for patients, in this setting of EDs with pre-existing high-quality sepsis care.
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3Qs for QI | An Interview with Dr. Michelle Knees

Jul 12, 2025

In this debate article about secure messaging, Dr. Knees and her team explore the promise and pitfalls of secure messaging platforms in hospital medicine. The Point-Counterpoint format presents both perspectives, including one that celebrates efficiency, collaboration, and safety, and one that warns about cognitive overload, communication breakdowns, and burnout. The article concludes with a shared rebuttal advocating for thoughtful implementation.
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