Browsing by Subject "risk assessment"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Open Access
Experience and Perceptions of a Family Health History Risk Assessment Tool among Multi-Ethnic Asian Breast Cancer Patients.
(J Pers Med, 2021-10-19) Yoon, Sungwon; Goh, Hendra; Fung, Si Ming; Tang, Shihui; Matchar, David; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S; Orlando, Lori A; Ngeow, Joanne; Wu, Rebekah Ryanne
A family health history-based risk assessment is particularly valuable for guiding cancer screening and treatment strategies, yet an optimal implementation depends upon end-users' values and needs. This is not only true prior to disease development, but also for those already affected. The aim of this study is to explore perceptions of the value of knowing one's family health history (FHH)-based risk, experience using a patient-facing FHH tool and the potential of the tool for wider implementation. Twenty multi-ethnic Asian patients undergoing breast cancer treatment in Singapore completed an FHH-based risk assessment. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted and data were thematically analyzed. All participants were female and slightly more than half were Chinese. The acceptance and usage of an FHH risk assessment tool for cancers and its broader implementation was affected by a perceived importance of personal control over early detection, patient concerns of anxiety for themselves and their families due to risk results, concerns for genetic discrimination, adequacy of follow-up care plans and Asian cultural beliefs toward disease and dying. This study uniquely sheds light on the factors affecting Asian breast cancer patients' perceptions about undergoing an FHH-based risk assessment, which should inform steps for a broader implementation in Asian healthcare systems.
Open Access
Identifying Malaria Transmission Risk in the Peruvian Amazon: A Geospatial Approach
(2014-04-25) Yin, Elizabeth
Peru has endured a long history with malaria, an infectious disease caused by the mosquito-borne transmission of the Plasmodium parasite. Throughout the 20th century, disease prevalence has varied tremendously with a number of factors including Peru’s growth and development, variable support for malaria control measures, and the migration of immunologically naïve populations. However, many researchers believe that anthropogenic deforestation is at the root of a recent resurgence of malaria in the Peruvian Amazon. Deforestation creates favorable conditions for disease transmission by increasing mosquito habitat and placing humans in close proximity to more abundant disease vectors. In addition, rural communities often lack the resources to combat malaria due to the prohibitive cost of conventional technologies and lack of access to health care. Using data derived from field collections and remotely sensed images in the Loreto department of Peru, this study proposes a new method for characterizing malaria risk in the Peruvian Amazon. A variety of novel geospatial and remote sensing techniques were used to develop environmental layers from satellite imagery and produce the species distribution model. A geospatial risk model synthesized the predicted mosquito habitat and associated community risk factors into an assessment of malaria exposure risk. The threat model developed from this study can be used to create maps that will help local communities manage their malaria risk. Management efforts, such as the reduction of available mosquito breeding habitat, can be concentrated in areas identified as high-risk for malaria exposure.
Open Access
The enduring importance of family health history in the era of genomic medicine and risk assessment.
(Per Med, 2020-04-22) Haga, Susanne B; Orlando, Lori A
Improving disease risk prediction and tailoring preventive interventions to patient risk factors is one of the primary goals of precision medicine. Family health history is the traditional approach to quickly gather genetic and environmental data relevant to the patient. While the utility of family health history is well-documented, its utilization is variable, in part due to lack of patient and provider knowledge and incomplete or inaccurate data. With the advances and reduced costs of sequencing technologies, comprehensive sequencing tests can be performed as a risk assessment tool. We provide an overview of each of these risk assessment approaches, the benefits and limitations and implementation challenges.