Utah Department of Health

Chronic Disease Genomics Standing Committee

August 5, 2004

4:30-5:30 pm

44 N. Medical Drive, Conference Rooms ABCD

M i n u t e s

1.  Introductions

2.  April 1, 2004 Minutes – see handout

3.  Summary of CDC Family History Workgroup – see handout

  1. Ted Adams discussed latest development of the Family Healthware tool
  2. Beta testing to begin at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Institute and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
  3. 7500 patients will be evaluated on behavior changes over 6 months
  4. More information on the tool can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/activities/ogdp/2003/chap06.htm

4.  BRFSS questions submitted – see handout

  1. Question #5, as proposed by the committee, was omitted due to concerns of the UDOH Health Survey Committee and Michigan Dept. of Health
  2. After discussion, Question #2 will now read “To the best of your knowledge, does one or more of the following diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer tend to run in your family?”
  3. Others concerns of committee regarding the BRFSS questions
  4. Does the public view family history differently than “does anyone in your family have (x disease)?”
  5. How helpful is a family history in disease management (from a health care provider’s view)?
  6. What does asking these questions do to expectations the public has on what health care providers should or shouldn’t be doing?
  7. What differences exist when comparing high-risk families vs. low or moderate risk families on their knowledge of family history?
  8. A 5th question was proposed by the committee and will be included on the BRFSS pending approval from the Health Survey Committee
  9. “How much time would you spend to complete a family medical history?
  10. Surveyor would categorize the respondent’s answers without prompting into the following categories: 0-15 minutes, 16-30 minutes, 31-60 minutes, 1-2 hours, 2 hours or more
  11. Responses would be used to develop interventions, promote committee’s efforts, justify needs and guide future planning

5.  Draft Workplan – see handout

  1. Goals were prioritized by the committee to reflect this order
  2. Assess current understanding of the influence of genetics and chronic disease in the public sector and among primary care providers.
  3. Strategies include: focus groups, key informant interviews, and possibly surveys
  4. Explore possibility of working with Health Insights (interested in rural communities, computerizing medical records, and following guidelines/regulations)
  5. Develop a strategy to improve understanding (educate) of genetics influence on chronic disease in the public sector and among primary care providers.
  6. Develop a plan to improve the method and subsequent use of family history collection among primary care providers. Once implemented, determine if medical intervention is achieved.
  7. Devise a plan to help educate the public and providers regarding the proper use of genetic screening/testing.
  8. As a committee, gain a clearer understanding of the clustering of chronic disease and the degree of genetic impact on these clusters.
  9. Determine if there are any interventions and guidelines based on family history or genetic information that might reduce the burden of chronic disease in Utah.
  10. Universal state genealogy – under development

6.  Action Items

  1. Rebecca Giles will look into possibility of adding similar family history questions as the BRFSS to the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey
  2. Jenny Johnson will compile a literature search on health care providers and the practice of collecting and use of family histories for next meeting
  3. Explore possibility of testing the American Medical Association’s family history guide (http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2380.html)
  4. Committee will need to be prepared to discuss goals 2, 3, and 4 during the next meeting; please send thoughts prior to Rebecca Giles

7.  Next Meeting

Nov 4, 2004

4:30-5:30 pm

44 N. Medical Drive, Conference Rooms ABCD

Next Year (2005): Feb 3, May 5, Aug 4, Nov 3

For more information or copies of the handouts, please contact Rebecca Giles, 538-6259 or