Environmental Health Topics: Environmental History-Taking

Taking a good environmental history is a critical first step for addressing health conditions associated with environmental exposures. However, few health care providers are trained in environmental history taking.  It is important to introduce environmental history-taking into practices and protocols of health settings where health care is delivered.

Resources

• Pediatric Environmental History Initiative: Multiyear initiative to integrate environmental history taking into clinical practice.
• Screening Environmental History Form (PDF): Screening environmental history form that is designed to be administered by the primary health care provider in less than five minutes in order to capture most of the common environmental exposures to children. (en Español)
• Additional Categories and Questions to Supplement the Screening Environmental History (PDF): Supplemental screening form which provide further categories and questions for the health care provider to ask if a positive response is given to one or more of the screening questions. (en Español)
• Environmental History Form for Pediatric Asthma Patient: Asthma history form developed as an initial intake tool specifically for children already diagnosed with asthma. (en Español)
• Environmental Health History for Pediatrics (PPT): A presentation on environmental health history for pediatrics by Sophie Balk, MD. (en Español)
• Taking an Environmental History to Address Children's Unique Vulnerabilities to Environmental Health Risks (PPT): A presentation on taking an environmental history by Joel Forman, MD. (en Español)