Results and Individual Follow-up
Is risk assessment included in the tool?
Risk assessment is an important factor for audiences to decide whether collecting family health history may be a good idea for them. Although knowing one's family health great for any individual to have some control over their own health, it may take a risk assessment for some people to decide to take the first step. Decide what the goals of your audience may be.
Resources
- Risk Assessment and Screening Tools
- A Collaborative Risk Assessment and Educational Tool for Health Professionals and the Public
Does the tool produce a pedigree (family health tree)?
Some tools might focus on the importance of and best ways to go about collecting family health history information while others will have specific questions that will help the user to collect data. If a tool assists the individual in making a family health tree, this pedigree can be very useful in sharing with family members and with one’s physician. It is important to consider if data is produced from the tool since it provides a useful way for one to follow up with using the information gathered.
Can the result be imported into an electronic health record?
Having a physical record of one's family history is great for personal use. However, if the tool's resulting information is able to be imported into an electronic health record, its usability may be increased. This may make the information easier to share with others and could give individuals more reason to use the tool.
Does the tool encourage follow-up with a physician?
Once an individual becomes engaged in the tool, it is important to encourage follow-up so that the information gathered can work to his/her advantage. Sharing this information will allow individuals to make decisions with healthcare providers and become a steward of his/her own health. By stressing the importance of following up with this information, the individual will be less likely to lose interest in utilizing the tool after going through the steps of the tool.
Does the tool encourage sharing information with family members?
Individuals may turn to the tool as a way to share information with other family members. While some tools may focus solely on the collection and usage of family health information, some could encourage sharing the result with other family members. Some individuals will be more likely to use the tool if it provides information on how to best communicate this type of information. In addition, ItRunsInMyFamily.com helps organizations facilitate family health history collection with their family health history tool. Sharing knowledge of family health with others in your family is important. It allows the individuals in your family to make smart health decisions and stay in control of their own health.
