• Špela Miroševič, Zalika Klemenc-Ketiš, and Borut Peterlin.
• Department of Family Medicine, Medical Faculty Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
• Eur J Gen Pract. 2022 Dec 1; 28 (1): 75-86.

BackgroundMany medical family history (FH) tools are available for various settings. Although FH tools can be a powerful health screening tool in primary care (PC), they are currently underused.ObjectivesThis review explores the FH tools currently available for PC and evaluates their clinical performance.MethodsFive databases were systematically searched until May 2021. Identified tools were evaluated on the following criteria: time-to-complete, integration with electronic health record (EMR) systems, patient administration, risk-assessment ability, evidence-based management recommendations, analytical and clinical validity and clinical utility.ResultsWe identified 26 PC FH tools. Analytical and clinical validity was poorly reported and agreement between FH and gold standard was commonly inadequately reported and assessed. Sensitivity was acceptable; specificity was found in half of the reviewed tools to be poor. Most reviewed tools showed a capacity to successfully identify individuals with increased risk of disease (6.2-84.6% of high and/or moderate or increased risk individuals).ConclusionDespite the potential of FH tools to improve risk stratification of patients in PC, clinical performance of current tools remains limited as well as their integration in EMR systems. Twenty-one FH tools are designed to be self-administered by patients.

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