Awardees

Supervisor: Dr. Anita E. Molzahn
Award: KRESCENT Fellowship
Institution: University of Alberta
Year: 2011-2015

Dr. Schick Makaroff is a registered nurse who will pursue her post-doctoral fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Anita Molzahn in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Dr. Schick Makaroff completed her Ph.D. at the University of Victoria, partially funded by The Kidney Foundation. She is interested in studying health-related quality of life from the perspective of people affected by kidney disease in order to improve provision of care to this population. For instance, the treatment of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is complex and involves dialysis or transplantation, diet restrictions, medication, exercise, and numerous medical appointments. It is therefore important to consider the patient’s perspective on the quality of their lives and health status in light of these changes to their lifestyle, and this can only be assessed by the patient. Caring for patients with ESRD provides an opportunity for nurses to fully consider the patient’s experience of illness in relation to their quality of life, and such assessments may provide necessary and often missing information for nurses to better support patients and manage their care. The purpose of the project is to measure patients’ health-related quality of life through questionnaires using computer-based technology and then evaluate the results. Findings will provide data to nurses and other healthcare professionals who work with people living with ESRD to improve support for patients managing their illness, thereby reducing the burden of kidney disease and enhancing the patient’s quality of life.