The family history: An integral component of paediatric health assessment

Conducting the paediatric health history is a vital skill for the paediatrician. However, published guidelines on this topic often fail to emphasize the value that the family history adds to paediatric health assessment. For the healthy child, the family history may reveal risk factors for juvenile and/or adult-onset conditions, the adverse effects of which may be ameliorated with medical intervention or surveillance. For the child with a health problem, a detailed family history may help to guide the clinician through the diagnostic and treatment processes.