The activities proposed in this NCI K07 application are designed to advance the career development and research independence of Dr. Brandon M. Welch. Family health history (FHx) is one of themostimportant resourcesavailabletohelpcliniciansidentifydiseaserisks.Byknowingapatient'sFHx,clinicianscanquickly identify diseaserisksandinitiaterisk-reducingstrategiessuchasincreasedscreening,prophylacticsurgery, risk-reducing therapeutics, and lifestyle changes. FHx is also the foundation of genomic medicine. Unfortunately, the collection and use of FHx by patients and clinicians is suboptimal. To improve the collectionanduseofFHxamongthegeneralpopulation,abetterFHxtoolthatiseasierandmoreconvenient to use than current FHx tools is needed. A new FHx web tool, called ?ItRunsInMyFamily.com,? incorporates artificialintelligenceandsocialnetworkingtoimproveuserengagementwithFHxcollection.Utilizingartificial intelligence based chat entity can improve the collection of FHx information by making it easier and more engagingtorecordFHxinformation,likewisesocialnetworkingallowsuserstotapintothecollectivewisdom and knowledge of the family to correct inaccuracies and overcome gaps in FHx knowledge. Thisresearch study will first identify enhancements to ?ItRunsInMyFamily.com ?that will further promote user engagement, with particular focus on ruralandunderservedpatients(Aim1).WewillthenevaluatewhetherthisnewFHx toolcanimprovecollectionofcancerFHxincomparisonwithcurrentFHxtools(Aim2).Finally,wewillassess theimpactof?ItRunsInMyFamily.com?ontheclinicalsettings(Aim3).Toimplementtheresearchplan,itwillbe critical to apply, skills obtained through K award learning objectives, namely clinical oncology (learning objective 1), iterative patient-centered design (learning objective 2), and health technology assessment (learning objective 3). To fulfill these learning objectives, an interdisciplinary group of mentors will direct a comprehensivetrainingplan.Thetrainingplanincludescoursework,seminars,workshops,journalclubs,and conferences, coveringclinicaloncology,patientengagement,healthdisparities,user-centereddevelopment, human-computer interaction, clinical research methodologies, health technology assessment, and ethical conduct of research. The strong support of an excellent team of mentors, and the vast resources of the Medical University of South Carolina, create an optimal training environment. Collectively, the integrated learning objectives and research plan are critical to establishing a successful, innovative, and meaningful academiccareerfocusedondevelopingpatient-centricinformaticstoolsforoncology.
Family health history (FHx) is one of the most important risk factors for cancer and the foundation of genomic medicine, but is under-utilized by patients and clinicians. By incorporating artificial intelligence and social networking into a FHx tool, it will lead to greater engagement with FHx collection. This research study will identify and incorporate features that promote user adoption, and evaluate its impact on FHx collection.
| Welch, Brandon M; Wiley, Kevin; Pflieger, Lance et al. (2018) Review and Comparison of Electronic Patient-Facing Family Health History Tools. J Genet Couns 27:381-391 |
| Aziz, Ayesha; Pflieger, Lance; O'Connell, Nathaniel et al. (2017) Compatibility of Family History Cancer Guidelines With Meaningful Use Standards. JCO Clin Cancer Inform 1: |
