An interactive tool from the Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) can help primary care clinicians recommend preventive services for their patients.
The Electronic Preventive Services Selector (ePSS) is designed for use on a PDA or computer, giving clinicians immediate access to the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services from the AHRQ-sponsored US Preventive Services Task Force. The guide also comes in a pocket-sized, printed version.
The ePSS is designed to help physicians make decisions at the point of care and contains recommendations for specific populations covering separate preventive services topics.
After clinicians enter a patient's age, gender, and behavioral risk factors, the software cross-references that data with applicable task force recommendations and generates a report specifically tailored for that patient.
For example, the guide contains recommendations on:
- Screenings for obesity, breast cancer, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and HIV
- Hormone therapy for the prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal women
- Diet and behavioral counseling
AHRQ also has released the adult preventive services timeline, a consumer-friendly wall poster based on the task force's preventive care recommendations.
Copies of the pocket guide are available free of charge by calling (800) 358-9295.