Resource Center: program, history

This program, from the US Surgeon General's Family History Initiative, enables people to answer a series of questions about the number, relationship, and medical histories of their family members. This information is then used to generate a pedigree that the patient can bring to his or her physician for review. The program is relatively simplistic (does not distinguish half siblings from full siblings, includes a limited number of relatives, no risk assessment, etc.), but the Surgeon General's office plans to continue developing the tool. It is simple for the patient to complete, requires only about 10 to 15 minutes (if all of the health information is readily available), and the information is kept on one's own computer, minimizing security concerns.