Amy Byer Shainman on Collecting Family History Information from Patients

Amy Byer Shainman, a hereditary cancer heath advocate, gives tips to nurses on how they can better collect family history information from their patients.

Shainman says when an oncology nurse is helping a patient write down their family history, it is important to have patience. It’s helpful to ask the patient “out of the box” questions that will help trigger memories that may prove useful in establishing a more complete family medical history. ​