Linking Research and Practice

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) links prevention research with clinical practice by sponsoring:

• The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
• The Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP) program.

The USPSTF, an independent panel of experts in primary health care and prevention, systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness of a wide range of preventive services:

• Screening.
• Counseling.
• Chemoprevention.

The USPSTF recommends the services that clinicians should routinely provide as part of primary health care.

PPIP helps clinicians apply these recommendations in clinical practice and tells patients which preventive services they should expect their health care professionals to provide.

The third USPSTF was convened in November 1998 to update the recommendations made by the second USPSTF in 1996. The recommendations of the third USPSTF will be released beginning in Spring 2001 and continue through 2002 on topics such as:

• Screening for chlamydial infection.
• Screening for lipid disorders in adults.
• Screening for skin cancer.
• Screening for bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy.
• Aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events.
• Screening for depression.
• Breast cancer chemoprevention.
• Hormone replacement therapy.
• Screening for colorectal cancer.
• Newborn hearing screening.

USPSTF recommendations are used by clinicians, professional societies, health plans and insurers, policymakers, and educators.

To compare USPSTF recommendations with those of other organizations, search the National Guideline Clearinghouse™ (NGC) at www.guideline.gov.

Beginning in 2001, PPIP will develop and release tools to help clinicians deliver the third USPSTF-recommended preventive services. PPIP resources also help patients understand what they can do to stay healthy and help them keep track of their preventive care.

PPIP resources have been used successfully by a broad range of organizations including the Texas Department of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force, Kaiser Permanente of Colorado, and the Newport Family Practice in rural North Carolina.

USPSTF recommendations, supporting evidence, and PPIP resources are available online (www.ahrq.gov/clinic/prevenix.htm) and in print (call the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295).

The goals of AHRQ in sponsoring the USPSTF and PPIP are to provide the evidence base for the clinical preventive services delivered in the primary care setting, and to help make these services an integral part of primary care. We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Contact Barbara Najar at AHRQ at (301) 427-1399 or BNajar@ahrq.gov.

Sign up for the AHRQ Prevention Program LISTSERV® to learn about new USPSTF recommendations and PPIP resources by following these three simple steps:

1. Send an E-mail message to: listserv@list.ahrq.gov
2. In the subject line, type: Subscribe
3. In the body of the message, type:
   SUBSCRIBE AHRQ_PREVENTIONPROGRAMUPDATES Your Name

AHRQ Publication No. APPIP01-0007
Current as of March 2001

Internet Citation:

Linking Research and Practice. AHRQ Publication No. APPIP01-0007, March 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/prev/linking.htm

Return to Put Prevention Into Practice
Clinical Information
AHRQ Home Page
Department of Health and Human Services