> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.fdaweb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# CDRH Patient and Caregiver Connection Program
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/cdrh-patient-and-caregiver-connection-program/
- Published: 2019-11-18T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T15:53:27.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Devices, #legacy-id-D5145529

CDRH has established a “Patient and Caregiver Connection” [program](https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/cdrh-patient-engagement/cdrh-patient-and-caregiver-connection?ref=fdaweb.com) to obtain feedback from these stakeholders on their experiences living with a condition or using medical devices. Certain partner organizations collect feedback on specific issues from their members and share that feedback with CDRH. “This patient feedback on the impact of the medical condition on individual patients can help provide a rich context for regulatory decision-making,” CDRH says. “The Center intends to work with both patients and caregivers to advance the development and evaluation of innovative medical devices and monitor the performance of marketed devices. Patient and Caregiver Connection partnerships will enable a culture of meaningful patient engagement and interaction between CDRH staff, patients, and caregivers.”

CDRH says it developed the program to obtain three types of patient feedback that can give context to its regulatory activities:

- Patients’ experiences living with their specific condition
- Patients’ experiences with devices used for the diagnosis, treatment, or management of their condition
- Current issues or trends related to medical devices that they use or may be treated with

The Center says the information could also provide insights that could be useful in medical device design, pre-market clinical studies, and post-market medical device safety monitoring and product refinement.

Under the program, when CDRH staff decide patient input is important in their work, they can draft questions for patients, caregivers, or both, and the partner organizations will disseminate questions or surveys to their membership and collect responses. Currently, there are 14 participating partner organizations, including the American Association of Kidney Patients, American Sleep Apnea Association, Facing our Risk of Cancer Empowered, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and The Michael J. Fox Foundation.