Why is it important to know my family health history?
Nov 18, 2015 · One size does not fit all when it comes to alcohol and addiction treatment. You are an individual, and the treatment model that works for you will be based on your unique …
How can I Share my Family Health history with my doctor?
Family members share their genes, as well as their environment, lifestyles, and habits. Everyone can recognize traits such as curly hair, dimples, leanness, or athletic ability that run in their …
How do I gather my health history?
Nov 21, 2016 · Your medical history includes all the traits your family shares that you can’t see. These traits may increase your risk for many hereditary conditions and diseases, including: …
Do you have a family health history of chronic disease?
Family health history is a record of the diseases and health conditions in your family. You and your family members share genes. You may also have behaviors in common, such as exercise …
How to get your family health history?
If you’re estranged from only part of your family, you can try a few things to collect your family health history: Talk to the family members you’re connected with. You may not need to reconnect with your whole family to collect your family health history. Reach out via your doctor.
Why is it important to know your family's health history?
Your medical history includes all the traits your family shares that you can’t see. These traits may increase your risk for many hereditary conditions and diseases, including: cancer. diabetes.
What is the best way to start a family history?
First, you’ll want to focus on immediate family members who are related to you through blood. Start with your parents, siblings, and children.
What family members do you not need to include?
Family members you don’t need to include. parents. stepparents and stepsiblings. siblings. adoptive parents and adoptive siblings. your children. spouses, unless they’re also related by blood. aunts and uncles. aunts and uncles who married into your family ( meaning they aren’t siblings of one of your parents)
Why is it important to share your health history with your doctor?
That’s because your doctor can help you interpret what it means for your current lifestyle, suggest prevention tips, and decide on screening or testing options for conditions you may be more at risk for developing.
Why is it important to identify your ethnic background?
As best you can, identify your ethnic background to help spot potential health risks. Environment: Families share common genes, but they also share common environments, habits, and behaviors.
What is family history?
Family health history is a record of the diseases and health conditions in your family. You and your family members share genes. You may also have behaviors in common, such as exercise habits and what you like to eat. You may live in the same area and come into contact with similar things in the environment. Family history includes all of these ...
How to get a complete picture of your family?
To get the complete picture, use family gatherings as a time to talk about health history. If possible, look at death certificates and family medical records. Collect information about your parents, sisters, brothers, half-sisters, half-brothers, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Include information on major medical ...
Can you develop a chronic disease yourself?
If you have a close family member with a chronic disease, you may be more likely to develop that disease yourself, especially if more than one close relative has (or had) the disease or a family member got the disease at a younger age than usual. Collect your family health history information before visiting the doctor, and take it with you.
What are the best ways to find early signs of disease?
Screening tests, such as blood sugar testing, mammograms, and colorectal cancer screening, help find early signs of disease. Finding disease early can often mean better health in the long run.
Can you change your genes?
You can’t change your genes, but you can change unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, not exercising or being active, and poor eating habits. If you have a family health history of disease, you may have the most to gain from lifestyle changes and screening tests. In many cases, healthy living habits can reduce your risk for diseases ...
How Family History Affects your Chances for Addiction
Family history affects your chances of addiction in many ways. Genes are one important factor. But alcoholism and drug addiction are “genetically complex.”
Addressing and Reducing Risks
An alternative viewpoint regarding a family history link for addiction comes from a National Institute of Health (NIH) meta-study of 65 published papers documenting 766 study participants who were college or university students. Controlling for alcohol consumption and use disorders, family history was reviewed as the variable.
Intervention Strategies
Should you already find yourself dealing with an alcohol or drug issue, here are some intervention strategies provided by the National Institute of Health, in their publication, Alcohol Alert:
How does family history affect pre-test risk?
Also, by affecting an individual's pretest risk, the family history can substantially alter the predictive value not only of genetic tests but also of other screening tests. 1.
Does knowledge of type 2 diabetes lead to better health?
Of course, knowledge of individual risk does not always lead to better health.
When should family history information be updated?
Family history information should be reviewed and updated regularly, especially when there are significant changes to family history. Where appropriate, further evaluation should be considered for positive responses, with referral to genetic services as needed.
When should family history be reviewed?
Family history information should be reviewed and updated regularly, especially when there are significant changes to family history. Where appropriate, further evaluation should be considered for positive responses, with referral to genetic testing and counseling as needed. Family history plays a critical role in assessing the risk ...
What is family history?
Family history plays a critical role in assessing the risk of inherited medical conditions and single gene disorders. Certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer and colon cancer, appear more frequently in some families, as do some adverse birth outcomes. Coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, depression, ...
What are some of the most common cancers that are associated with family history?
Certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer and colon cancer, appear more frequently in some families, as do some adverse birth outcomes. Coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, depression, and thrombophilias also have familial tendencies. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Family History Initiative was launched in 2004.
What is the most common tool used in general practice?
A common tool used in general practice is the family history questionnaire or checklist. Having the patient complete the questionnaire at home allows extra time for the patient to contact family members and provide more accurate information.
What is a family history assessment tool?
Another family history assessment tool, commonly used by genetics professionals, is the pedigree. The health care provider may decide to complete a detailed pedigree or refer the patient to a genetics professional for further evaluation.
What should be on a pedigree?
A pedigree should indicate the age of individuals; if deceased, the age and cause of death; and any relevant health history, illnesses, and age of onset. If any genetic testing has been performed on family members, the results should be indicated on the pedigree. The ethnic background of each grandparent should be listed as well as any known ...
What is family health history?
Family health history (FHH) is a strong predictor of disease risk and useful for guiding preventive care, yet is persistently underutilized in clinical care.
Do older people have more knowledge about FHH?
Older individuals may feel a higher sense of relevancy and urgency in collecting health information than younger individuals. In addition, older members of families (>50 years old) often serve as historians of FHH and therefore, have higher levels of knowledge about FHH compared to other age groups [ 19 ].
What is FHH collected on?
While FHH is still commonly collected on paper-based patient intake forms during appointment check-in and then reviewed by a health provider, several online tools have been developed to facilitate the collection and interpretation of FHH [ 10 ].
Abstract
The collection and use of a family health history are important for assessing the patient’s risk of disease, but history taking is often impeded by practical barriers in the office. Provision for patient-computer dialogue, linked with the electronic health record, may enable patients to contribute their history while bypassing these barriers.
INTRODUCTION
The family history is a time-honored and highly regarded component of the patient's medical history. Yet, problems with the traditional method of taking and recording the family history serve to limit both the clinical use and scientific study of the information obtained.
OBJECTIVE
A 2014 systematic review of electronic family history tools previously identified that existing tools were useful for identifying risk, but none were integrated with electronic health records (EHRs), and authors noted that further research and implementation assessments were warranted.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Developed on the basis of our experience over the years 7,8 the computer-based family history consists of 39 “primary” questions asked of all patients about the incidence of familial diseases, as well as multiple qualifying questions to enable patients to specify relationships to family members with histories of familial diseases.
RESULTS
Between 2014 and 2016, 97 781 patients had accounts on PatientSite. Of these, 9562 (10%) patients accessed the family history interview on their own without prompting. We observed 4223 (42% of 9562 patients) of these patients complete the family history interview and submit it to their care providers through the EHR for review.
DISCUSSION
In the 2 years following initial implementation of the family history, 4223 patients provided information about their family history, and 1451 of these patients provided information about their experience.
CONCLUSION
This study, reporting on the experience of over 1400 patients who provided their family health history through a patient portal, identified that such patient-professional collaborative work empowered patients and added perceived value and efficiency to the patient experience of care.
How Family History Affects Your Chances For Addiction
Addressing and Reducing Risks
- An alternative viewpoint regarding a family history link for addiction comes from a National Institute of Health (NIH) meta-study of 65 published papers documenting 766 study participants who were college or university students. Controlling for alcohol consumption and use disorders, family history was reviewed as the variable. The meta-study found ...
Intervention Strategies
- Should you already find yourself dealing with an alcohol or drug issue, here are some intervention strategies provided by the National Institute of Health, in their publication, Alcohol Alert: 1. Motivational Interview:This strategy focuses on enhancing your motivation and commitment to changing your behavior, if you are currently abusing drugs or alcohol. Typically you would work …