This guide was developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over. AHRQ is the lead Federal agency charged with supporting research designed to improve the quality of health care, reduce its cost, and broaden access to essential services. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention convened by AHRQ, systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness of clinical preventive services—screening tests, immunizations, counseling, and chemoprevention (for example, aspirin to prevent heart disease)—and makes recommendations for their use in primary health care. This guide is based on USPSTF recommendations from 1996 to fall, 2003. Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP), a national program sponsored by AHRQ, develops resources for clinicians, patients, and office systems to increase the delivery of USPSTF-recommended preventive services in the primary care setting. To order copies of this guide, call the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295. For more information about AARP, call 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277) or visit www.aarp.org. The appearance of service marks or logos should not be construed as an endorsement of any company or organization—or its services—that has been granted permission to reprint this publication. The USPSTF continuously updates its recommendations on clinical preventive services and makes them available on the AHRQ Web site. PPIP tools are revised regularly to correspond with USPSTF updates and are also available on the AHRQ Web site. For the most current recommendations and updates, visit the preventive services section of the AHRQ Web site. |