Frequently Asked Questions

What is the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which was convened by the U.S. Public Health Service in 1984 and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) since 1998, is the leading independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care.

The USPSTF conducts rigorous, impartial assessments of the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of a broad range of clinical preventive services, including screening, counseling, and preventive medications. Its recommendations are considered the "gold standard" for clinical preventive services.

What is the mission of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)?

The mission of the USPSTF is three-fold:

• To evaluate the benefits and harms of specific services for patients based on their age, sex, and risk factors for disease.
• To make recommendations about which preventive services should be incorporated routinely into primary medical care and for which populations.
• To identify a research agenda for clinical preventive care.

How are U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations different from those of other professional organizations?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is a multidisciplinary team of primary care experts that uses a systematic evidence-based approach to focus on preventive services in the clinical setting. The USPSTF specifically bases its recommendation on a balanced look at the benefits and harms of each preventive service.

How does the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) arrive at its recommendations?

In making its recommendations, the USPSTF assesses:

• The quality of evidence supporting a specific preventive service.
• The magnitude of net benefit in providing the service.

Each recommendation is based on a review of the evidence that includes:

• Creation of an analytic framework and a set of key questions that determine the scope of the literature review.
• Systematic review of the relevant literature to answer the key questions.
• Quality ratings of bodies of research literature supporting each key question.
• Estimation of benefits and harms.
• Determination of the balance of benefits and harms of the preventive service.

How does the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) rate its recommendations?

Each recommendation is linked to a letter grade that reflects the magnitude of net benefit and the strength of the evidence supporting the provision of the specific preventive service. The recommendation is graded from "A" (strongly recommended) to "D" (recommended against). When the evidence is insufficient to determine net benefit, the Task Force assigns a grade of "I."

Who are the members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) consists of experts in primary care, epidemiology, and prevention. Members come from the specialties of family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, geriatrics, preventive medicine, public health, behavioral medicine, and nursing.

What is The Guide to Clinical Preventive Service?

The Guide is a reference for effective clinical preventive services. It includes U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening tests for early detection of diseases, counseling for risk reduction, and preventive medication topics. Clinical considerations are included for each topic.

How do I order the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services?