SCREENING FOR DISEASES: PREVENTION IN PRIMARY CARE

Snow V (ed)Philadelphia, American College of Physicians, 2004, 186 pages, $40 softcoverIssues of when and whom to screen for various diseases and conditions have longbeen sources of controversy. The amount of information about screening tests canbe overwhelming, and the costs of the latest preventive technology can be daunting.To provide an evidence base for decision making in one source for busy clinicians,Dr Snow has compiled key previously published reviews of the data behind the latestUS Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) screening recommendations fortype 2 diabetes, postmenopausal osteoporosis, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, andprostate cancer. Also included are reviews of the evidence concerning chemoprophylaxisof cardiovascular disease (with aspirin and with hormone replacementtherapy) as well as reviews of the latest data on screening for hypertension and depression,which were specially commissioned for this volume. The reviews containguidelines on which patients to screen and address the issue of screening frequency--in terms of both optimum patient care and maximum cost-effectiveness. Inaddition, a list of key points that summarize important "take-home" messages precedeeach review. The book also contains a valuable introduction ("How to ThinkAbout Screening" by David M. Eddy, MD, PhD) and a concise guide to 25 preventiveservices.