FamilyMemberHistory

Overview

The FamilyMemberHistory API empowers healthcare developers to seamlessly manage and retrieve information related to patients' family health history, providing a standardized interface for efficient integration of genetic and familial health data into clinical workflows. By leveraging this API, developers can optimize genetic risk assessments, enhance clinical decision-making, and ensure a comprehensive understanding of hereditary health factors for improved patient care.

Use Cases

Genealogy Mapping - Build family trees showing relationships between members.
Risk Analysis - Assess disease predispositions based on conditions patterns across relations.
Screening Recommendations - Suggest early screening for inheritable conditions identified in family history.
Patient Education - Provide counseling based around identified hereditary conditions prevalence.
Clinical Decision Support - Apply family history context to personalized care protocols and recommendations.
Research Data - De-identify family histories and derive insights on disease presentations.
Patient Matching - Use names, demographics to accurately associate family members.
Consent Management – Record consent permissions granted for family history access.
Identity Management - Maintain profile links from patients to relatives such as children.
Vital Statistics - Capture common vital signs ranges across family members.

EHR Data Model

EHR	Supported?	Mapped Source Object
Athena	✅	Family History
Elation	✅	History, Family History
Epic	✅	N/A

Object Definition

{
  "resourceType": "FamilyMemberHistory",
  "id": "father",
  "text": {
    "status": "generated",
    "div": "<div xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml\">Father died of a heart attack aged 74</div>"
  },
  "identifier": [
    {
      "value": "12345"
    }
  ],
  "instantiatesUri": [
    "http://example.org/family-member-history-questionnaire"
  ],
  "status": "completed",
  "patient": {
    "reference": "Patient/example",
    "display": "Peter Patient"
  },
  "date": "2011-03-18",
  "relationship": {
    "coding": [
      {
        "system": "http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v3-RoleCode",
        "code": "FTH",
        "display": "father"
      }
    ]
  },
  "sex": {
    "coding": [
      {
        "system": "http://hl7.org/fhir/administrative-gender",
        "code": "male",
        "display": "Male"
      }
    ]
  },
  "condition": [
    {
      "code": {
        "coding": [
          {
            "system": "http://snomed.info/sct",
            "code": "315619001",
            "display": "Myocardial Infarction"
          }
        ],
        "text": "Heart Attack"
      },
      "contributedToDeath": true,
      "onsetAge": {
        "value": 74,
        "unit": "yr",
        "system": "http://unitsofmeasure.org",
        "code": "a"
      },
      "note": [
        {
          "text": "Was fishing at the time. At least he went doing someting he loved."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "tag": [
      {
        "system": "http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v3-ActReason",
        "code": "HTEST",
        "display": "test health data"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Data Fields

Data Field	Type	Description
resourceType	FamilyMemberHistory	This is a FamilyMemberHistory resource
id	id	The logical id of the resource, as used in the URL for the resource. Once assigned, this value never changes.
meta	Meta	The metadata about the resource. This is content that is maintained by the infrastructure. Changes to the content might not always be associated with version changes to the resource.
implicitRules	uri	A reference to a set of rules that were followed when the resource was constructed, and which must be understood when processing the content. Often, this is a reference to an implementation guide that defines the special rules along with other profiles etc.
language	code	The base language in which the resource is written.
text	Narrative	A human-readable narrative that contains a summary of the resource and can be used to represent the content of the resource to a human. The narrative need not encode all the structured data, but is required to contain sufficient detail to make it "clinically safe" for a human to just read the narrative. Resource definitions may define what content should be represented in the narrative to ensure clinical safety.
contained	BackboneElement	These resources do not have an independent existence apart from the resource that contains them - they cannot be identified independently, and nor can they have their own independent transaction scope.
extension	Extension	May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.
modifierExtension	Extension	May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource and that modifies the understanding of the element that contains it and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer is allowed to define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).
identifier	Identifier	Business identifiers assigned to this family member history by the performer or other systems which remain constant as the resource is updated and propagates from server to server.
instantiatesCanonical	canonical	The URL pointing to a FHIR-defined protocol, guideline, orderset or other definition that is adhered to in whole or in part by this FamilyMemberHistory.
instantiatesUri	uri	The URL pointing to an externally maintained protocol, guideline, orderset or other definition that is adhered to in whole or in part by this FamilyMemberHistory.
status	code	A code specifying the status of the record of the family history of a specific family member.
dataAbsentReason	CodeableConcept	Describes why the family member's history is not available.
patient	Reference	The person who this history concerns.
date	dateTime	The date (and possibly time) when the family member history was recorded or last updated.
name	string	This will either be a name or a description; e.g. "Aunt Susan", "my cousin with the red hair".
relationship	CodeableConcept	The type of relationship this person has to the patient (father, mother, brother etc.).
sex	CodeableConcept	The birth sex of the family member.
bornPeriod	Period	The actual or approximate date of birth of the relative.
bornDate	string	The actual or approximate date of birth of the relative.
bornString	string	The actual or approximate date of birth of the relative.
ageAge	Age	The age of the relative at the time the family member history is recorded.
ageRange	Range	The age of the relative at the time the family member history is recorded.
ageString	string	The age of the relative at the time the family member history is recorded.
estimatedAge	boolean	If true, indicates that the age value specified is an estimated value.
deceasedBoolean	boolean	Deceased flag or the actual or approximate age of the relative at the time of death for the family member history record.
deceasedAge	Age	Deceased flag or the actual or approximate age of the relative at the time of death for the family member history record.
deceasedRange	Range	Deceased flag or the actual or approximate age of the relative at the time of death for the family member history record.
deceasedDate	string	Deceased flag or the actual or approximate age of the relative at the time of death for the family member history record.
deceasedString	string	Deceased flag or the actual or approximate age of the relative at the time of death for the family member history record.
reasonCode	CodeableConcept	Describes why the family member history occurred in coded or textual form.
reasonReference	Reference	Indicates a Condition, Observation, AllergyIntolerance, or QuestionnaireResponse that justifies this family member history event.
note	Annotation	This property allows a non condition-specific note to the made about the related person. Ideally, the note would be in the condition property, but this is not always possible.
condition	BackboneElement	The significant Conditions (or condition) that the family member had. This is a repeating section to allow a system to represent more than one condition per resource, though there is nothing stopping multiple resources - one per condition.
condition.id	string	Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
condition.extension	Extension	May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.
condition.modifierExtension	Extension	May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).
condition.code	CodeableConcept	The actual condition specified. Could be a coded condition (like MI or Diabetes) or a less specific string like 'cancer' depending on how much is known about the condition and the capabilities of the creating system.
condition.outcome	CodeableConcept	Indicates what happened following the condition. If the condition resulted in death, deceased date is captured on the relation.
condition.contributedToDeath	boolean	This condition contributed to the cause of death of the related person. If contributedToDeath is not populated, then it is unknown.
condition.onsetAge	Age	Either the age of onset, range of approximate age or descriptive string can be recorded. For conditions with multiple occurrences, this describes the first known occurrence.
condition.onsetRange	Range	Either the age of onset, range of approximate age or descriptive string can be recorded. For conditions with multiple occurrences, this describes the first known occurrence.
condition.onsetPeriod	Period	Either the age of onset, range of approximate age or descriptive string can be recorded. For conditions with multiple occurrences, this describes the first known occurrence.
condition.onsetString	string	Either the age of onset, range of approximate age or descriptive string can be recorded. For conditions with multiple occurrences, this describes the first known occurrence.
condition.note	Annotation	An area where general notes can be placed about this specific condition.

Extensions

Name	URL

FamilyMemberHistory

Overview

Use Cases

EHR Data Model

Object Definition

Data Fields

Extensions

Operations & APIs

FamilyMemberHistory-GET

FamilyMemberHistory-POST

FamilyMemberHistory ID-GET

FamilyMemberHistory ID-PUT

FamilyMemberHistory ID-DELETE

FamilyMemberHistory Export-POST