Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2010-2011. Recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

摘要

Since 1998, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has convened the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)an independent panel of private-sector experts in prevention and primary care. AHRQ staff provide scientific, technical, and administrative support for the Task Force, and assist in disseminating its findings and recommendations to key audiences. In that role, we are pleased to make The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2010-2011 available to those who seek to ensure that their patients receive the highest quality clinical preventive services. Findings and recommendations from the Guide are routinely used in a variety of settings to improve the preventive care that patients receive. For example, a computer-aided screening initiative based on the recommendations and delivered via an online annual Health Risk Assessment has been successfully implemented for employees at IBM Integrated Health Services. Also, an education and training program for physician assistants at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth is using the Guide as a tool for student research on clinical preventive services. In addition, the USPSTF recommendations are valuable tools that can help you and your patients have a conversation about which clinical preventive services are best for them.