Abstract

May 2007

Section Clinical Essentials

Over the past 20 years, prevention has become a major activity in primary care. During a typical day, primary care clinicians spend much of their time managing asymptomatic conditions in which the main goal is to prevent death or complications (e.g., hypertension, hyperlipidemia, osteoporosis). This chapter focuses primarily on preventive screening recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The rationale and evolution of preventive care guidelines are discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of cervical, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer screening are explained, along with recommendations regarding behavioral counseling, especially for smoking cessation and alcohol use. Tables list selected prevention-related content in ACP Medicine, major causes of death in the United States, criteria for evaluating a screening program, sample board examination questions about screening, government-sponsored preventive guidelines programs, the USPSTF grading system, strongly recommended noncancer preventive services in adults, recommended vaccination schedule for health-care workers, recommended and strongly recommended measures for cancer prevention, recommended preventive noncancer screening measures, and selected recommendations for counseling and patient education. This chapter contains 36 references.

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