The study aimed to find patients who may have a higher risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer by looking at their family history in electronic health records. They analyzed data from over 800,000 patients and found that being positive for certain family history criteria was linked to an increased chance of having genetic mutations related to breast cancer. This was especially true for women in the study. Patients with a positive family history were also more likely to develop cancer. The researchers discovered that many patients who met the family history criteria had not undergone genetic testing, highlighting the importance of identifying these individuals for further evaluation and potential preventive measures.