Current Processes of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Refining Evidence-Based Recommendation Development

Current Processes of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Refining Evidence-Based Recommendation Development

Janelle Guirguis-Blake, MD;
Ned Calonge, MD, MPH;
Therese Miller, DrPH;
Albert Siu, MD, MSPH;
Steven Teutsch, MD, MPH;
Evelyn Whitlock, MD, MPH; and
for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

From the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, Maryland.

Abstract

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel that has provided the gold standard for evidence-based guidelines in prevention for the past 2 decades, continuously refines its methodology. To keep up with the evolving field of evidence- based medicine and to update recommendations in a timely, efficient, and transparent manner, the USPSTF has developed new methods for evidence reviews and recommendation development. This article summarizes the most recent changes in the recommendation development process, including how the USPSTF solicits and prioritizes topics for review, updates evidence reviews and recommendations, and communicates with its audience.

Article and Author Information

Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: Employment: S. Teutsch (Merck & Co. Inc.); Stock ownership or options (other than mutual funds): S. Teutsch (Merck & Co. Inc.).
Requests for Single Reprints: Reprints are available from the USPSTF Web site (http://www.preventiveservices.ahrq.gov) and from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Publications Clearinghouse (800-358-9295 or e-mail at AHRQPubs{at}ahrq.hhs.gov).
Current Author Addresses: Dr. Guirguis-Blake: Department of Family Medicine, Tacoma Family Medicine Residency Program, University of Washington, 521 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, WA 95405.
Dr. Calonge: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246.
Dr. Miller: Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850.
Dr. Siu: Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai Medical Center, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1070, Annenberg Building, Room 10-20, New York, NY 10029.
Dr. Teutsch: Merck & Company, Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, WP39-130, West Point, PA 19437-0004.
Dr. Whitlock: Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, 3800 North Interstate Avenue, Portland, OR 97227.

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