Research Projects
Understanding the Role of Culture in Decision-Making Preferences Patients have with their Provider
Principal Investigators: Rachyl Pines, PhD, Maria Benedetti, RN
An international team of researchers from Cottage Health, UCSB, Australia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, are exploring decision-making and communication in their study "Understanding the role of culture in decision-making preferences patients have with their provider". More than 2,200 patients from 5 different countries completed the researchers’ survey, and results of this study will allow the research team to make recommendations about how to more appropriately enact patient-centered and family-centered care in our increasingly global society.
Geriatric Trauma Care
Principal Investigators: Dr. Rohit Sharma, Dr. Stephen S. Kaminski and Arianne Johnson, PhD
Geriatric patients are a common population treated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital’s verified Level 1 Trauma Center. Researchers at Cottage Health are investigating management and outcomes of both traumatic brain injury and other injuries after ground-level falls, the most common cause of fatal and nonfatal injury in this age group. Using both national and local hospital data, these studies investigate and improve geriatric trauma care on topics such as traumatic brain injury, end-of-life care, ground-level falls, advanced care directives, and identifying predictors of functional outcomes.
COVID-19 Impact on Homelessness
Principal Investigator: Cara Silva, MPH, Director of Population Health
A joint research project with The Cottage Center for Population Health aims to better understand the true impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing homelessness in South Santa Barbara County. Photo-voice methodology, semi-structured interviews, and a review of service use are ways in which researchers are examining impacts of COVID-19 on service provision to people experiencing homelessness and ways to improve it. The findings of this study can inform both Cottage Health leadership and local decision makers in emergency planning and response efforts to the current and future pandemic/s that specifically impact people experiencing homelessness.
Sagacity Care Platform for Caregivers
Principal Investigator: Wendy Cork Keyser, PT, MS of Coast Caregiver Resource Center, Arianne Johnson, PhD
Geriatric patients are a common population treated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital’s verified Level 1 Trauma Center. Researchers at Cottage Health are investigating management and outcomes of both traumatic brain injury and other injuries after ground-level falls, the most common cause of fatal and nonfatal injury in this age group. Using both national and local hospital data, these studies investigate and improve geriatric trauma care on topics such as traumatic brain injury, end-of-life care, ground-level falls, advanced care directives, and identifying predictors of functional outcomes.
