Home mechanical ventilation (HMV) users are dependent on medical technology for the vital life function of breathing. Although the HMV population is relatively small, the incidence of HMV initiation and associated healthcare utilization and costs are increasing, yet mortality rates are elevated and not decreasing over time. Despite the medical complexity of these patients and their intense healthcare service utilization and associated costs, there have been few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in Canadian HMV users. Barriers to conducting high quality HMV Canadian RCTs include inadequate sample sizes within single centers, inequitable access to participation in under-represented groups, lack of comparability among data due to heterogeneity in clinical practice, few Canadian HMV trialists, as well as an absence of existing national infrastructure to support HMV clinicians to engage in research and train the next generation of HMV researchers. A comprehensive infrastructure will allow stakeholders to share expertise and resources, facilitate training and mentorship and develop common tools to capture datasets that can be analyzed across HMV populations. This will catalyze RCT driven research and improve care delivery while ensuring patient engagement, equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigeneity, and accessibility (EDIIA).
CanHMVr’s aim is to develop, evaluate and implement innovative strategies and healthcare system delivery models to improve the health and healthcare experience of the HMV population from the perspective of patients and families and the healthcare system.
