title: Patient interest in recording family histories of cancer via the Internet.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the interest of mammogram patients in using electronic tools for recording their family histories of cancer (FHC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Semistructured interviews were conducted with 65 patients visiting a breast center at a referral hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most (n = 40; 62%) respondents expressed interest in using an electronic tool for recording FHC and associated its use with a range of benefits to themselves, their families, and their health care providers. Women who were not interested (n = 25; 38%) in using an electronic tool for recording FHC were concerned about privacy issues, computer proficiency, and giving up the opportunity to provide family history information directly to the health care provider. Interest in using an electronic tool for recording FHC was not significantly associated with age, race, level of education or income, personal or FHC, or Internet access and frequency of use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electronic documentation of FHC was seen as largely desirable. However, clinical services to facilitate systematic family history documentation are likely to require more than one avenue for collecting and communicating this information, as not everyone who wants to provide a FHC to a health care provider is comfortable using the Internet to do so.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioethics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. christian-simon@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Acheson
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burant
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gerson
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schramm
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wiesner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003197:Computer Literacy; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009820:Ohio; D033283:Patient Access to Records; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D014930:Women