Health maintenance recommendations

The recommendations for health maintenance and disease prevention have changed over the years as new scientific studies conclude and our guidelines become focused. As an example, the "annual physical" has been shown to be a considerable waste of resources and time for patients who are at low risk for problems. We now have age and risk adjusted recommendations that allow us to tailor our guidelines to each individual. As you plan your health care choices you will be well served to be familiar with the guidelines cited on the following resources.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has made a comprehensive list of disease screening guidelines. Click here to see the recommendations by topic: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspstopics.htm and here to see the same guidelines organized by category: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/cps3dix.htm By category is a better place to start for general reference.