An electronic tool to help alert physicians about patients at risk for birth defects or pregnancy complications is being developed through a three-year cooperative agreement with a $1.2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration's genetic services branch.
The National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG) will lead the project and work with the March of Dimes, the Genetic Alliance and Partners HealthCare's Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Mass. The project's goal is to adapt or create a tool that physicians can use to gather a woman's consistent family history information and analyze it immediately to improve patient care.
"This project allows us to use state-of-the-art technology and apply a sophisticated understanding of genomics and family history to give more Americans a healthy start in life," said Alan R. Fleischman, MD, senior vice president and medical director of the March of Dimes. "We hope doctors will use this new family health history tool to identify women at risk for having preterm labor or an infant with a birth defect. It will give women the information they need to improve their health and that of their babies."
Patients will be required to fill out a standardized family history questionnaire using a computerized tablet. The information will be analyzed electronically, with the new tool providing red flags and recommendations for healthcare providers based on current professional guidelines. The tool may prompt providers to ask more questions or send a woman to a genetic specialist.
"Taking a patient's family health history is an important way for doctors and other healthcare providers to evaluate the risk of common conditions such as heart disease or premature birth," said Joseph McInerney, executive director of the NCHPEG. "With this grant, we can improve how prenatal providers gather and use family health history to improve the health of their patients."
The tool is expected to encourage healthcare providers to update and use family history data throughout the lifespan of any female patient. The long-term goal is for the family history information to be combined with the patient's other medical information into an electronic health record.
The tool will focus on existing prenatal and women's health topics, including newborn screening, and will be compatible with the U.S. Surgeon General's family history tool, the "My Family Health Portrait" Web-enabled program.
