Communicating uncertainty in care for children with multiple health issues
Official title: Unknowable Uncertainty: towards communicating the limits of evidence in the care of multimorbidity
Funded at Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah · NIH-11450812 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aimed at helping families understand the uncertain risks and benefits of different treatments for kids with complex medical needs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project start | September 2, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $566,093 |
| NIH project number | 1R01NR022115-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11450812 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Families and caregivers of children with medical complexity and healthcare providers involved in pediatric care.
✕Less likely to help
Families not facing decision-making about treatment options or those not dealing with uncertainty may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This grant focuses on making medical uncertainty easier to understand for families and clinicians when treating children with complex health conditions. It plans to test visual displays and simple language to explain unclear risks, to support shared decision making in English and Spanish-speaking households. The project will build and refine a toolkit to help talk about when options are equally reasonable and to avoid unnecessary or harmful choices. The work involves human participants and feedback from families and care teams to shape clearer communication tools.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, families can make better-informed decisions that align with their values and improve quality of life for children with complex conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests that improved communication tools can reduce knowledge gaps, but this project tests new visual and language approaches in English and Spanish.
Where this research is happening
-
Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
Salt Lake City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lin, Jody — Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
- Study coordinator: Lin, Jody
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.