UNMC nurse develops platform to help ICU patients’ family members participate in patient care
Nebraska Medicine - Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, Neb.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) has launched Familyroom.health, a digital platform designed to support families of patients in intensive care. Developed through a collaboration between the UNMC College of Nursing, UNeMed, UNeTech and Nebraska Medicine, the platform aims to bring families into the critical care process.
The platform was born from the experiences of Breanna Hetland, Ph.D., a critical care nurse who witnessed firsthand the challenges families face when supporting a loved one in the ICU. Her personal encounter with these gaps inspired more than a decade of NIH-funded research. In 2023, she partnered with product strategist Greg Nelson to evolve the concept into a scalable commercial solution grounded in human-centered design. The platform is the first of its kind to allow families to document their caregiving contributions directly in the electronic health record.
The program provides evidence-based tools, peer support and resources to empower family caregivers and improve communication within care teams. With more than $1 million in funding secured, Familyroom.health continues to undergo clinical trials at Nebraska Medicine while also forming pilot partnerships with major health systems nationwide. According to Hetland, the need is profound: 6 million Americans experience critical illness in ICUs each year, affecting up to 20 million family members who suddenly become caregivers.