RISK-BASED SCREENING OF FAMILIES

THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING COMPUTERIZED TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS TO CONDUCT RISK-BASED SCREENING. USING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES PREVENTIVE SERVICES TASK FORCE, PUBLISHED INFORMATION ON RISK FACTORS OF VARIOUS DISEASES, AND ADVICE OF HELATH PROFESSIONALS, A QUESTIONNAIRE WILL BE DEVELOPED WHICH CAN BE ADMINISTERED BY A COMPUTER OVER THE TELEPHONE. THE COMPUTER WILL ASK QUESTIONS, AND FAMILY MEMBERS WILL ANSWER BY PRESSING THE TELEPONE KEYS. THE COMPUTER WILL ASSESS THE PERSON'S RISKS BASED ON HIS/HER ANSWERS RECEIVED FROM OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. THE COMPUTER THEN PROVIDES VERBAL FEEDBACK AND MAILS A PERSONALIZED PRINTOUT TO THE INDIVIDUAL. IF THE PERSON CHOOSES, THE INFORMATION OBTAINED CAN BE FAXED DIRECTLY TO A PHYSICIAN TO ASSIST IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. INDIVIDUALS AT HIGH RISK CAN ALSO BE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED TO A HEALTH-CARD PROFESSIONAL. PHASE I WILL BE FOR PREPARATION OF THE SOFTWARE AND PREPARATION OF THE QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK RELATED TO BREAST CANCER. PHASE II WILL EXPAND THE WORK TO ALL AGES, GENDERS, AND DISEASES IDENTIFIED BY THE TASK FORCE. PHASE II WILL ALSO INCLUDE A LIMITED RANDOMIZED EXPERIMENT TO EXAMINE WHETHER FAMILY MEMBERS WHO USE THE SYSTEM ARE MORE LIKELY TO OBTAIN THE RECOMMENDED SCREENING TESTS AND AVOID UNNECESSARY TESTS.