New Prevention Resources from the AHRQ
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has added a new set of tools to the electronic Preventive Services Selector (ePSS). These tools help primary care clinicians provide consumer-friendly information about prevention and preventive care to their patients at the point of care.
The ePSS is a Web-based and PDA-downloadable application designed to help primary care clinicians identify the screening, counseling, and preventive medication services that are appropriate for their patients. The ePSS provides searchable, electronic access to the current evidence-based recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). myhealthfinder, a Web site developed by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the Department of Health and Human Services, provides personalized preventive services recommendations from the USPSTF for consumers. The recommendations are presented in clear language and are broken into segments that encourage a patient to learn about the service and take action.
Over 20 of the topics in the ePSS now include a link to a companion topic in myhealthfinder that has been translated for consumers and is presented in a simple and engaging way. Through these links in the ePSS, primary care clinicians now have direct access to information they can share with their patients at the point of care. The materials are printable, so patients can take them home after the appointment. As more of the USPSTF recommendations are translated for consumers, the ePSS will be updated, so keep coming back.
You can find out more about the evidence-based recommendations of the USPSTF and AHRQ’s work to improve the delivery of effective clinical preventive services at: http://www.preventiveservices.ahrq.gov.
