Sleep health in special populations

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PROJECT SUMMARY Insufficient and poor quality sleep resulting from sleep disorders can have a negative impact on health outcomes and quality of life. This is particularly true for patient populations who are at risk for poor outcomes due to comorbidities. While there are established treatments and best practices for management of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea and insomnia, significant knowledge gaps remain in how best to manage complex patients and improve patient-centered outcomes. The goal of this application is to provide support for mentoring of trainees and junior investigators in the areas of sleep disorders and sleep health among patient populations who are “at risk.” The applicant's current research program focuses primarily on women with sleep apnea, who are at elevated risk for non-adherence to PAP therapy compared to men, particularly when they face additional challenges to adherence, such as psychiatric comorbidities. The main research aims of the funded work focus on improving adherence to PAP therapy among women. Additional aims focus on improving PAP adherence among patients with spinal cord injuries and on implementing practices to improve sleep in long term care settings. Dr. Martin has a track record of mentoring trainees at multiple levels toward research independence, and the proposed award will enhance her ability to provide additional mentoring in patient oriented research focused on sleep disorders and sleep health. The goal of the award is to increase the number of independent clinical investigators studying how best to treat patients with sleep disorders in “real world” settings. As such, the goals of the proposed training plan focus on providing Dr. Martin with training in implementation science. UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) provide rich environments for mentoring and for applied clinical and health services research. Finally, development of web- based resources for clinical trainees in patient oriented research will be developed for use within and beyond UCLA and VAGLAHS.