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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Oct;17(10):822-30.
doi: 10.1038/gim.2014.198. Epub 2015 Jan 15.

Acceptability and feasibility of a virtual counselor (VICKY) to collect family health histories

Catharine Wang  1 , Timothy Bickmore  2 , Deborah J Bowen  3 , Tricia Norkunas  1 , MaryAnn Campion  4 , Howard Cabral  5 , Michael Winter  6 , Michael Paasche-Orlow  7
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Acceptability and feasibility of a virtual counselor (VICKY) to collect family health histories

Catharine Wang et al. Genet Med. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: To overcome literacy-related barriers in the collection of electronic family health histories, we developed an animated Virtual Counselor for Knowing your Family History, or VICKY. This study examined the acceptability and accuracy of using VICKY to collect family histories from underserved patients as compared with My Family Health Portrait (MFHP).

Methods: Participants were recruited from a patient registry at a safety net hospital and randomized to use either VICKY or MFHP. Accuracy was determined by comparing tool-collected histories with those obtained by a genetic counselor.

Results: A total of 70 participants completed this study. Participants rated VICKY as easy to use (91%) and easy to follow (92%), would recommend VICKY to others (83%), and were highly satisfied (77%). VICKY identified 86% of first-degree relatives and 42% of second-degree relatives; combined accuracy was 55%. As compared with MFHP, VICKY identified a greater number of health conditions overall (49% with VICKY vs. 31% with MFHP; incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.59; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.13-2.25; P = 0.008), in particular, hypertension (47 vs. 15%; IRR: 3.18; 95% CI: 1.66-6.10; P = 0.001) and type 2 diabetes (54 vs. 22%; IRR: 2.47; 95% CI: 1.33-4.60; P = 0.004).

Conclusion: These results demonstrate that technological support for documenting family history risks can be highly accepted, feasible, and effective.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Notification: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. VICKY: “Have you had any of these health problems?”
Figure 2
Figure 2. Study CONSORT diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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