(Press-News.org) Original Research
Pre-Visit Questionnaire With EHR Integration Improves Family History Documentation and Supports Prevention and Referrals in Primary Care
Background and Goal: This study evaluated whether a pre-visit, patient-completed family history questionnaire that automatically uploads to the electronic health record (EHR) and triggers a same-day notification for family physicians improves family history documentation and subsequent conversations.
Study Approach: Researchers ran a six-month, matched hybrid effectiveness–implementation study in three primary care practices affiliated with the University of Toronto Practice-based Research Network (UTOPIAN). Intervention-group family physicians and patients received brief education on the importance of family history. Usual care served as the control. For fair comparison, intervention physicians and patients were matched to similar controls. The primary measure was any new or updated family history entry within 30 days of the visit; secondary measures included disease-specific entries, reported actions (screening, referrals, counseling), and patient and clinician feedback.
Main Results: Fifteen family physicians and 576 patients in the intervention group were matched with 15 family physicians and 2,203 patients in the control group.
Within 30 days of the visit, new family history was documented in the EHR by their family physician for 16.1% of intervention patients and 0.2% control patients.
Within 30 days of the visit, 7.8% of intervention patients and 0.1% of control patients had documentation of at least one of the following cancers: breast, ovarian, colorectal, prostate, or melanoma.
The majority (72%) of intervention patients who attended their appointment indicated discussing family history with their family physician at the visit.
Intervention patients reported receiving screening recommendations (24.5%), lifestyle advice (7.8%), referrals to non-genetics specialists (7.5%), and genetics referrals (about 2%).
Why It Matters: Better documentation of family history can support more personalized prevention and referrals when needed.
Permanent link: An Innovative Strategy for Collecting Family Health History: An Effectiveness-Implementation Trial in Primary Care Clinics
June C. Carroll, MD, CCFP, FCFP, et al
Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health, Granovsky Gluskin Family Medicine Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
END
Pre-visit questionnaire with EHR integration improves family history documentation and supports prevention and referrals in primary care
An innovative strategy for collecting family health history: an effectiveness-implementation trial in primary care clinics
2025-09-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study identifies functions to expect from interdisciplinary care teams delivering whole person substance use disorder care for pregnant people
2025-09-22
Original Research
Study Identifies Functions to Expect From Interdisciplinary Care Teams Delivering Whole Person Substance Use Disorder Care for Pregnant People
Background and Goal: This study set out to identify the professionals, roles, and core functions of interdisciplinary teams that serve pregnant people with substance use disorders and describe how those functions are organized across different settings.
Study Approach: Researchers conducted a qualitative observational study in Oregon at seven organizations that implemented Project Nurture and Nurture Oregon, integrated team-based care models that bring ...
“Light-touch” EHR referral strategy connects patients with prediabetes to community-based diabetes prevention programs
2025-09-22
Original Research
“Light-Touch” EHR Referral Strategy Connects Patients With Prediabetes to Community-Based Diabetes Prevention Programs
Background and Goal: This study tested whether a referral order inside the Epic electronic health record (EHR) could help primary care clinicians refer patients to community-based diabetes prevention programs (DPPs), an important public health strategy to reduce incident type 2 diabetes, and whether patients enrolled after referral.
Study Approach: ...
16-Year study indicates rising patient complexity and fewer patients seen per day in Alberta primary care
2025-09-22
Original Research
16-Year Study Indicates Rising Patient Complexity and Fewer Patients Seen Per Day in Alberta Primary Care
Background and goal: In this study, researchers examined changes over time in characteristics of adults cared for by family physicians from 2004 to 2020 in Alberta, Canada, along with trends in family physicians and their practice patterns for adults over 18 years old.
Study approach: Using linked administrative health data, including physician billing claims and hospital/ambulatory data, the researchers created annual, population-based snapshots from 2004 to 2020 of adults seeing family physicians providing comprehensive care. They tracked ...
Practice-level metric provides “big-picture” look that may reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in Arkansas Medicaid PCMHs
2025-09-22
Original Research
Practice-Level Metric Provides “Big-Picture” Look That May Reduce Unnecessary Antibiotic Use in Arkansas Medicaid PCMHs
Background and Goal: In this study, researchers developed, implemented and measured a claims-based, practice-level performance measure to calculate, track and influence antibiotic prescribing variation across Arkansas Medicaid’s patient-centered medical home (PCMH) program.
Study Approach: This retrospective, observational study used 2019–2021 outpatient antibiotic paid claims, attributing each claim ...
More low-income adults reported having a usual source of care after the Affordable Care Act
2025-09-22
Research Brief
More Low-Income Adults Reported Having a Usual Source of Care After the Affordable Care Act
Background and Goal: Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), uninsured and low-income adults were less likely to have a usual source of care due to cost, coverage, and access barriers. This study evaluated changes in the prevalence of usual sources of care and the reasons for lacking one before and after ACA implementation.
Study Approach: Researchers analyzed 2010 to 2017 data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Household ...
Combining Medicare wellness visits with problem-based visits reduces no-show rates and closes screening gaps
2025-09-22
Original Research
Combining Medicare Wellness Visits With Problem-Based Visits Reduces No-Show Rates and Closes Screening Gaps
Background and Goal: A recurrent barrier to Medicare annual wellness visits, which provide preventative medicine guidance for older and disabled patients, occurs when patients introduce medical concerns to physicians during these preventative visits. In this study, researchers scheduled combined visits in a single, longer slot with patients’ regularly seen clinicians and used allowed billing rules so both visits could count to see if they could increase the percentage of ...
Current sexual orientation, gender identity, and differences of sex development measures in federal health surveys
2025-09-22
Methodology
Current Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Differences of Sex Development Measures in Federal Health Surveys
Background and Goal: Federal health surveys are a key source for understanding health needs in the U.S., including the needs of people in LGBTQ+ community. This methodology paper characterized the current landscape of measures capturing sexual orientation, gender identity, and differences of sex development in federal health surveys, detailing when and how the information was collected.
Approach: ...
Penn State Health’s patient-centered quality metric reframing project may serve as a model for presenting future quality metrics
2025-09-22
Innovations in Primary Care
Penn State Health’s Patient-Centered Quality Metric Reframing Project May Serve as a Model for Presenting Future Quality Metrics
Quality metrics aim to improve patient outcomes by setting evidence-based targets, but many are neither patient centered nor physician centered. A team at Penn State Health’s Department of Family and Community Medicine ran a project across 13 ambulatory clinics to make quality data more meaningful by presenting patient-oriented outcomes in plain, natural language. Using 24 months of electronic health record data, they ...
Adding pharmacy technicians to primary care teams helps manage medication access
2025-09-22
Original Research
Adding Pharmacy Technicians to Primary Care Teams Helps Manage Medication Access
Background and Goal: This study examined whether adding pharmacy technicians to primary care teams relieved clinicians and nurses of medication-access tasks and improved perceptions of burden, quality of care and patient access.
Study Approach: Researchers conducted a retrospective, mixed-methods study one year after deploying five primary care pharmacy technicians across 11 clinics in a large urban safety-net network. They analyzed electronic ...
High educational debt and long work hours are associated with burnout symptoms in early-career family physicians
2025-09-22
Original Research
High Educational Debt and Long Work Hours Are Associated With Burnout Symptoms in Early-Career Family Physicians
Background and Goal: This study examined whether higher educational debt among physicians is associated with more hours worked per week and whether both are independently associated with burnout symptoms among early-career family physicians.
Study Approach: Researchers linked the American Board of Family Medicine Initial Certification Questionnaire (2017 to 2020) to its National Graduate Survey ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New study: Routine aspirin therapy prevents severe preeclampsia in at-risk populations
Afraid of chemistry at school? It’s not all the subject’s fault
How tech-dependency and pandemic isolation have created ‘anxious generation’
Nearly three quarters of US baby foods are ultra-processed, new study finds
Nonablative radiofrequency may improve sexual function in postmenopausal women
Pulsed dynamic water electrolysis: Mass transfer enhancement, microenvironment regulation, and hydrogen production optimization
Coordination thermodynamic control of magnetic domain configuration evolution toward low‑frequency electromagnetic attenuation
High‑density 1D ionic wire arrays for osmotic energy conversion
DAYU3D: A modern code for HTGR thermal-hydraulic design and accident analysis
Accelerating development of new energy system with “substance-energy network” as foundation
Recombinant lipidated receptor-binding domain for mucosal vaccine
Rising CO₂ and warming jointly limit phosphorus availability in rice soils
Shandong Agricultural University researchers redefine green revolution genes to boost wheat yield potential
Phylogenomics Insights: Worldwide phylogeny and integrative taxonomy of Clematis
Noise pollution is affecting birds' reproduction, stress levels and more. The good news is we can fix it.
Researchers identify cleaner ways to burn biomass using new environmental impact metric
Avian malaria widespread across Hawaiʻi bird communities, new UH study finds
New study improves accuracy in tracking ammonia pollution sources
Scientists turn agricultural waste into powerful material that removes excess nutrients from water
Tracking whether California’s criminal courts deliver racial justice
Aerobic exercise may be most effective for relieving depression/anxiety symptoms
School restrictive smartphone policies may save a small amount of money by reducing staff costs
UCLA report reveals a significant global palliative care gap among children
The psychology of self-driving cars: Why the technology doesn’t suit human brains
Scientists discover new DNA-binding proteins from extreme environments that could improve disease diagnosis
Rapid response launched to tackle new yellow rust strains threatening UK wheat
How many times will we fall passionately in love? New Kinsey Institute study offers first-ever answer
Bridging eye disease care with addiction services
Study finds declining perception of safety of COVID-19, flu, and MMR vaccines
The genetics of anxiety: Landmark study highlights risk and resilience
[Press-News.org] Pre-visit questionnaire with EHR integration improves family history documentation and supports prevention and referrals in primary careAn innovative strategy for collecting family health history: an effectiveness-implementation trial in primary care clinics