Health
Preventive services guide available
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 11, 2005
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has compiled all current recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in "The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2005" and has made it available for free on its Web site (link). Single copies of a pocket-sized version also are available, as is an application to download it to a PDA.
The recommendations are intended for primary care physicians and cover preventive services, the early detection of cancer, heart and vascular disease, infectious diseases, mental health conditions, and injury and violence.
"This pocket-sized guide makes it easy for clinicians to use as a quick, evidence-based reference," said USPSTF Chair Ned Calonge, MD, who is also chief medical officer and state epidemiologist of the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment. "The guide carries on the 20-year tradition of the Task Force in setting the standard for evidence-based prevention recommendations. I hope clinicians find it a useful tool as they care for patients."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/07/11/hlbf0711.htm.