Abstract PL03-04: Challenges in using genetic information and family history in primary care

Abstract

Abstract Several expert groups now advocate family history screening (FHS) as an approach to identify persons at increased risk for disease, but the clinical and economic implications of programs to improve FHS have not been established. The economic implications of implementing population-wide family history assessment programs are likely to be substantial. Although the costs of assessing family history will be small at the individual level, the societal costs of assessing millions of individuals could potentially be very large. Moreover, the initial family history screen could result in a number of downstream interventions, with potentially high costs. Because the impact of FHS and FHS-based care on outcomes are at present uncertain, understanding the economic costs involved with FHS is an important endeavor. In this presentation, I will outline the conceptual issues involved in economic evaluation of FHS, and some challenges to measuring the economic impact of family history screening. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):PL03-04.