Children with medical complexity (CMC) are increasingly prescribed noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NiPPV) for chronic respiratory failure. In our clinical experience, patients and families would prefer NiPPV initiation in the home environment but this is not standard of care. This proposal will evaluate the feasibility and safety of an innovative model of care for NiPPV initiation in the home environment utilizing remote telemonitoring compared to usual care which is in-hospital polysomnography (PSG) laboratory-based initiation.

The incidence of CMC requiring NiPPV is exponentially growing. NiPPV effectively corrects abnormal gas exchange, improves sleep quality, and reduces symptoms of chronic respiratory failure. The use of NiPPV has been associated with increased survival and improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL). To ensure effectiveness, NiPPV must be used for all periods of sleep and settings must be individually-titrated. Unfortunately, poor adherence results in many CMC being undertreated for chronic respiratory failure. Successful NiPPV initiation is critical because early negative experiences are commonly reported barriers to adherence6 and early usage predicts longer term use. Standard of care is the initiation and titration of NiPPV during a one-night in-hospital PSG. A PSG is challenging for CMC and families due to their medical fragility and lasting effects of travel and a disrupted routine, the significant amount of equipment and supplies that must be brought to the study as well as the financial implications and additional psychosocial stress for caregivers. In addition, negative experiences with NiPPV may be exacerbated by introduction of the therapy in an unfamiliar PSG laboratory with burdensome monitoring. Furthermore, a one-night PSG provides limited sleep data that may not be representative of dynamic and variable sleeping patterns that occur in the comfort of one's home.

Recent technological advances in remote NiPPV monitoring coupled with a shift to virtual care models has enabled a patient and family centered opportunity to bypass the PSG laboratory and initiate NiPPV at home. Remote NiPPV monitoring extends data collection beyond discrete health care encounters and provides real-time data on adherence and efficacy that can be wirelessly transmitted to facilitate setting adjustment by clinicians. Home NiPPV initiation is increasingly being requested by patients and caregivers. The potential benefits of this innovative care model include increasing patient and family empowerment, improving the delivery of high quality patient-centred care at home, and optimizing NiPPV use. Although there is growing data in the adult population to support home NiPPV initiation via telemonitoring, this cannot be simply extrapolated to CMC. There are key differences in the etiology and manifestation of chronic respiratory failure in CMC compared to adults. Furthermore, family caregivers play an important role in NiPPV acceptance and adherence.

Canadian guidelines acknowledge the lack of evidence for the setting in which NiPPV is initiated. Home NiPPV initiation in CMC is a novel model of care that may result in large health system impacts, but requires a feasibility study before embarking on a large-scale trial.