Postdoc student Mika Nonoyama is the recipient of three grants to support her research in adult and paediatric long-term mechanical ventilation. She is the co-principal investigator of three studies, working with her supervisor, Bloomberg assistant professor Louise Rose.
“The research grants awarded by the Canadian and Ontario Lung Associations will help address a much needed gap involving ventilated assisted individuals,” said Nonoyama. “I am also honoured to have received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Canadian Thoracic Society, which has given me the opportunity to be a part of the wonderful team of researchers at the Bloomberg Faculty.”
In Canada, the number of individuals requiring long-term mechanical ventilation (LTMV) as a result of serious illness or progression of chronic disease increases annually. Many families of these ventilated assisted individuals (VAIs) choose to care for them at home to promote quality of life, despite the potential physical, psychological and financial burden on the family. However, a systematic literature search reveals a limited number of studies describing the healthcare utilization and costs of VAIs living at home – particularly in Canada.
Through her research, Nonoyama aims to: 1) assess the patterns of health-care utilization and costs; 2) identify factors that predict costs; 3) describe caregiver burden experienced by family caregivers; 4) describe HRQoL; and, 5) examine factors that predict health-related quality of life for VAIs living at home in Ontario and their family caregivers. This information will not only provide local data, but it will also help health-care professionals, patients and their families make better informed decisions related to care.
Nonoyama is a respiratory therapist who began her postdoctoral studies at Bloomberg Nursing in the fall 2011. She works closely with Rose, whose research interests are focused on improving the experience of the mechanically ventilated patient across the spectrum of care in diverse patient populations