Form For Recording Family Health History - Start Your Own Today

You might think that creating a form for recording family health history is a daunting task. However, it's simply a matter of documenting the major medical diseases that your immediate and extended family experienced. This process can be done using a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a database program, or even just a simple pen and paper. Now let's get started!

The easiest way to get started is to simply create a table with 6 columns and as many rows as you have immediate family members. Across the top of the page, in the first column, put "Name"; in the second column, put "Relationship"; in the third column, put "Are They Alive"; in the fourth column, put "Heart Disease"; in the fifth column, put "Stroke"; and in the sixth column, put "Other". Your table should look like this:

Name	Relationship	Are They Alive	Heart Disease	Stroke	Other
-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-

Naturally, the table can contain any number of diseases or illnesses that you prefer. But for purposes of this demonstration, we will limit the table as above. The next step, is to record your family members. It's easiest if you start with yourself and your immediate family members. Initially, just record their names, their relationship to you, and whether they are alive or not.

The idea is to record as many of your family members as possible. So don't forget your parents, your children, your aunts and uncles, your brothers and sisters, your nieces and nephews, and even your cousins. That should be enough for a good start for this project.

Now take your time to fill in the actual medical conditions that your family has experienced. For anyone that you do not know their medical condition simply record a dash in the cell. If any conditions exist, it's probably a good idea to record the approximate age at which the symptoms first appeared. From my experience, I simply record if they were between the ages of 20-29, 30-39, or 40-49, etc. in the appropriate cell. It is a good idea to contact your family to get more details, particularly information about family members that have passed away.

Once you have completed the form it's a good idea to give it to your Doctor, for his or her reference, the next time you see them. Hopefully, you never need this information. However, if your Doctor discovers a problem, it's nice to know that your family health history has been properly documented to aid in his or her research.

For more information about forms and templates is sure to check out my Blank Family Tree web page.

For more information, visit Blank Family Tree.

About The Author:

Richard Kearns is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.all-about-family-trees.com.