Improving family involvement in VA ICU care
Harnessing Active Relationships within VA ICUs to Engage Surrogates and Care Teams (HARVEST)
This project aims to make ICU care in VA hospitals more family-centered for Veterans and their loved ones.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Health Administration NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11063098 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or a family member is in a VA intensive care unit, the team will examine how families are currently included and will speak with surrogates, clinicians, and support staff about communication, presence, education, and bereavement needs. Researchers will use interviews, observations, and reviews of ICU practices and materials while working with chaplains, social workers, and care teams to identify gaps and promising approaches. They will design and pilot strategies tailored to Veterans and their families to improve daily communication, family participation, and access to supportive resources, with the goal of testing these strategies in a larger implementation trial.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are Veterans admitted to VA ICUs and their family members or surrogate decision-makers, along with ICU clinicians and support staff at participating VA sites.
Not a fit: Patients who do not receive care at VA hospitals or whose ICU stays are very brief or occur without available family may not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, Veterans and their families could experience more consistent communication, participation in care, and supportive resources during ICU stays.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies show family-centered ICU practices can improve outcomes, but implementing and tailoring these practices across VA ICUs is less well tested and this work focuses on that implementation gap.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- Veterans Health Administration — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Valley, Thomas Sebastian — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Valley, Thomas Sebastian
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 below.