Engaging family caregivers in ICU care with FamilyRoom.Health
Official title: Operationalizing Family Caregiver Engagement in the Intensive Care Unit with FamilyRoom.Health
Funded at Family Room LLC · NIH-11313259 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A program tests a patient-facing digital platform that helps family caregivers participate more effectively in ICU care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Family Room LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lincoln, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,373,038 |
| NIH project number | 2R42NR020458-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11313259 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients in ICUs whose family caregivers want to be actively involved in care and whose care teams are implementing or planning to implement a family engagement program.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without engaged family caregivers or in ICUs not adopting caregiver engagement tools may see little direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project builds an enterprise-ready, EHR-connected suite called FamilyRoom.Health to turn family caregivers into active partners in the ICU workflow. It uses a data-driven engine to assess caregiver needs, offer personalized guidance, and provide analytics to hospitals. A nurse-validated protocol and frontline clinician collaboration aim to make family engagement practical and sustainable in real-world ICU settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could reduce adverse events and lower costs by making caregiver involvement a routine part of ICU care.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that structured family engagement can improve outcomes, and this project builds on that by providing an integrated platform.
Where this research is happening
-
Family Room LLC
Lincoln, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hetland, Breanna D — Family Room LLC
- Study coordinator: Hetland, Breanna D
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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.