Pediatrics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Pediatrics, including details on child development, perinatal medicine, child health care.

Role of family medical history information in pediatric primary care and public health: introduction.

Olney RS, Yoon PW

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, Mail Stop E-86, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. rolney@cdc.gov

In February 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsored a workgroup meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on the use of family medical history information in pediatric primary care and public health. The meeting focused on pediatric topics as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Family History Public Health Initiative. One outcome of the meeting was a series of published articles that summarized the proceedings and explored 4 topics that emerged as leading issues from the meeting: (1) optimizing use of family history in primary care; (2) linking obstetric and pediatric clinicians through preconception health care; (3) assessing potential campaigns to prevent chronic disease, starting with family history assessment in childhood; and (4) using birth defect family histories for prevention efforts. In this introduction we highlight each article and preview existing efforts in preconception health care and birth defects prevention that use family history.

Published 3 September 2007 in Pediatrics, 120: S57-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Pediatrics Research Today. All Rights Reserved.