Health-risk appraisal. Helping patients predict and prevent health problems

Health-risk appraisals (HRAs) are self-scored questionnaires or computer programs that use demographic and risk-factor data to estimate the most likely causes of death and to provide guidance on how to reduce risk of death. The clinical usefulness of HRAs lies in their ability to motivate patients to modify negative habits and lifestyles. Still very much in a developmental stage, HRAs are not substitutes for preventive health examinations and are best used in conjunction with ongoing physician-supervised health-promotion and disease-prevention efforts.