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500-Word Summary
NIH State-of-the-Science Conference:
Family History and Improving Health
August 24–26, 2009
Natcher Conference Center |
NIH Campus | Bethesda, Maryland
www.consensus.nih.gov
Conference is free and open to the public.
This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 11.75 Prescribed credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
For complete CME information, please visit
www.consensus.nih.gov/2009/familyhistorycme.htm.
Many common diseases have genetic, environmental,
and lifestyle causes that family members may share. An
individual’s family health history captures information about
shared factors that contribute to that individual’s risk for
developing diseases such as diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart
disease. Health care providers in the United States have long
used family health history information collected from patients
as a risk assessment tool. Family history is also critical to
determining who will benefit from genetic testing for both
common and rare conditions, and can facilitate interpretation of
genetic test results. The combination of these attributes makes
the collection of family history an important first step in
personalized medicine.
Incorporating Family History in Health
Information Technology Systems
National efforts are underway to ensure that
family history information is effectively incorporated into
health information technology systems, including electronic
health records and personal health record systems. An ultimate
goal of these efforts will be to provide health care
professionals with automated clinical decision tools based on
family history information; this will require a sound scientific
foundation on which to develop such tools.
Unanswered Questions Regarding Optimal Strategies
and Effectiveness for Disease Prevention
Although most individuals are accustomed to
providing some form of family history information when they
visit health professionals, their awareness, understanding, and
recollection of their family members’ health issues may limit
the accuracy of the information they provide. Moreover, the way
health care providers collect and use this information varies
widely. Important questions remain regarding the effectiveness
of family history information for disease prediction and
improvement of patient health outcomes.
Potential Adverse Effects
Depending too heavily on a family history to
assess disease risk may produce adverse effects for both
individuals and society, thus far not fully understood. Emphasizing
family history may have economic costs as well, as limited
resources are allocated across a wide variety of health
promotion activities in the primary care setting.
NIH To Hold Conference on Family History
Before the conference, an impartial, independent
panel is charged with reviewing the available published
literature, including a systematic literature review. At the
conference, subject matter experts will present current findings
related to family history and improving health. Attendees may
interact with the speakers during several open discussion
periods. On the final day of the conference, the panel will
present a statement of its collective assessment of the evidence
to address six predetermined conference questions; these are
listed at
www.consensus.nih.gov.
This conference is intended for physicians,
researchers, and allied health personnel interested in family
history and improving health, as well as interested members of
the public.
Registration
|
www.consensus.nih.gov
Can’t attend?
Live and archived videocast | http://consensus.nih.gov/fhxwebcast.htm
Preorder conference statement | http://consensus.nih.gov/fhxstmt.htm
Presented by: The National Human Genome
Research Institute (NHGRI)
The Office of Medical
Applications of Research (OMAR) of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Educational
Provider
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