Page 3 - Screening for Cervical Cancer: Systematic Evidence Review

Preface

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) sponsors the development of
Systematic Evidence Reviews (SERs) through its Evidence-based Practice Program. With
guidance from the third U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and input from Federal

partners and primary care specialty societies, two Evidence-based Practice Centers—one at the
Oregon Health Sciences University and the other at Research Triangle Institute-University of
North Carolina—systematically review the evidence of the effectiveness of a wide range of
clinical preventive services, including screening, counseling, immunizations, and
chemoprevention, in the primary care setting. The SERs—comprehensive reviews of the
scientific evidence on the effectiveness of particular clinical preventive services—serve as the
foundation for the recommendations of the third USPSTF, which provide age- and risk-factor-
specific recommendations for the delivery of these services in the primary care setting. Details of
the process of identifying and evaluating relevant scientific evidence are described in the
“Methods” section of each SER.
The SERs document the evidence regarding the benefits, limitations, and cost-effectiveness of a
broad range of clinical preventive services and will help to further awareness, delivery, and coverage of
preventive care as an integral part of quality primary health care.
AHRQ also disseminates the SERs on the AHRQ Web site (http://www.ahrq.gov/uspstfix.htm) and
disseminates summaries of the evidence (summaries of the SERs) and recommendations of the third
USPSTF in print and on the Web. These are available through the AHRQ Web site
(http://www.ahrgq.gov/uspstfix.htm), through the National Guideline Clearinghouse
(http://www.ncg.gov), and in print through the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse (1-800-358-9295).
We welcome written comments on this SER. Comments may be sent to: Director, Center for
Practice and Technology Assessment, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 6010 Executive
Blvd., Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852.

Carolyn Clancy, M.D. Robert Graham, M.D.
Acting Director Director, Center for Practice and
Agency for Healthcare Reseach and Quality Technology Assessment
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

The USPSTF is an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention first convened by the U.S. Public

Health Service in 1984. The USPSTF systematically reviews the evidence on the effectiveness of providing clinical
preventive services--including screening, counseling, immunization, and chemoprevention--in the primary care
setting. AHRQ convened the third USPSTF in November 1998 to update existing Task Force recommendations and
to address new topics.

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