PREVENTION PRACTICE COMMITTEE

February 2001

At its November meeting, the ACPM Board of Regents adopted the Committee’s recommendation to expand its charge to include development of four different types of ACPM-authored policies and articles. Since the November Board meeting, Committee staff have clarified the charge to include the following specific responsibilities:

1. Development of practice and public policy statements addressing high-priority topics for the College.
2. Development of position statements on topics that already have been the focus of an evidence review, analysis, or recommendations by an entity outside of ACPM.
3. Development of consumer-oriented health education policy statements on important preventive medicine topics

The Committee also has worked to inform its members of the expanded scope of the Committee and of the Committee’s new name, the "Prevention Practice" Committee.

ACPM and Medem recently have completed their first co-branded patient education article on prostate cancer. The article addresses prostate cancer in lay terms and is designed for use by the general public as well as physicians looking to educate their patients about prostate cancer. The article speaks on the prevalence of this type of cancer, common screening tests, the main points for and against screening for prostate cancer, and how patients should make a decision about prostate cancer screening. The article will soon be found on Medem’s website at www.medem.com and ACPM’s website at www.acpm.org.

Potential topics for future development of ACPM/Medem patient education articles include protection from UV light exposure and lead screening. ACPM and Medem expect to begin development of the next article in Spring 2001.

Committee staff have developed a draft document explaining the purpose of ACPM position statements and procedure for their development (see Attachment A). The draft document will be circulated at the in-person Committee meeting on February 24 and distributed to potential authors shortly thereafter.

Committee staff also have constructed a draft flow-chart demonstrating the review process that ACPM position statement will undergo (see Attachment B). ACPM staff are working with the American Journal of Preventive Medicine to ensure that the position statements will be eligible for publication in the Journal.

Published Policies

· Screening for Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children. Wendy G. Lane, MD, University of Maryland. Am J Prev Med. January 2001.

· Counseling on Hormone Replacement for Peri and Postmenopausal Women, David Katz, MD and Haq Nawaz, MD, Griffin Hospital, Connecticut. Am J Prev Med. October 1999.

· Tobacco Cessation Counseling. Jane Kattapong, MD, University of Washington Preventive Medicine Residency Program. Am J Prev Med. August 1998.

· Screening for Prostate Cancer in American Men. Rebecca L. Ferrini, MD, MPH, University of California/California State University and Steven H. Woolf, MD, FACPM, Medical College of Virginia. Am J Prev Med. July 1998.

· Adult Immunizations. Ann R. Fingar, MD, MPH and Byron J. Francis, MD, FACPM, Illinois Department of Public Health. Am J Prev Med. February 1998.

· Screening for Skin Cancer. Rebecca L. Ferrini, MD, MPH, Monica Perlman, MD, MPH and Linda Hill, MD, FACPM, University of California/California State University General Preventive Medicine Residency Program. Am J Prev Med. January 1998.

· Physician Recommendation of Protection from UV Light Exposure. Rebecca L. Ferrini, MD, MPH, Monica Perlman, MD, MPH and Linda Hill, MD, FACPM, University of California/California State University General Preventive Medicine Residency Program. Am J Prev Med. January 1998.

· Screening Asymptomatic Women for Ovarian Cancer. Rebecca L. Ferrini, MD, MPH, University of California/California State University General Preventive Medicine Residency Program. Am J Prev Med. November/December 1997.

· Childhood Immunizations. Linda Kinsinger, MD, FACPM and Rita Patel, MD, University of North Carolina Preventive Medicine Residency Program. Am J Prev Med. March/April 1997.

· Cervical Cancer Screening. William M. Marine, MD, FACPM and residents at the University of Colorado Health Service Center. Am J Prev Med. September/October 1996.

· Screening Mammography for Asymptomatic Women. Rebecca L. Ferrini, MD, Elizabeth Mannin, MD, Edith Ramsdell, MD and Linda Hill, MD, FACPM. University of California/California State University General Preventive Medicine Residency Program. Am J Prev Med. September/October 1996.

· Counseling on Physical Activity. Kevin Patrick, MD, FACPM and residents at San Diego State University.

· Hepatitis A Vaccination. Linda Kinsinger, MD, MPH and Chesley Richards, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

· Guideline for Vitamin E Use in Patients with Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Gary Caplan, MD, MPH, University of Kentucky.

· Physician Recommendation for Weight Loss. Haq Nawaz, MD, MPH and David Katz, MD, MPH, Griffin Hospital, Connecticut.

· Screening for Chlamydia Trachomatis. Katerina Hollblad-Fadiman, MD, MPH, Santa Clara County Public Health Department, San Jose, California.

· Screening for H.pylori in High Risks Groups. Bonnie Henry, MD, Tonya Gosha, MD and Linda Hill, MD, FACPM, San Diego State University.

· Screening for Hepatitis C. Bonnie Henry, MD and Linda Hill, MD, FACPM, San Diego State University.

· Counseling Children and Adolescents for Osteoporosis Prevention. Regina Fleming, MD, MSPH, Sandra Almeida, MD, MPH, and Kevin Patrick, MD, MS at San Diego State University.

· Screening for Testicular Cancer. Rebecca L. Ferrini, MD, MPH, University of California/California State University.

· Varicella Vaccination. Josette Roukhalil, MD, MPH, Griffin Hospital, Connecticut.

· Vitamin A Supplementation. Haq Nawaz, MD, MPH and David Katz, MD, MPH, Griffin Hospital, Connecticut.

· Needle Exchange Programs to Reduce Drug-Associated Morbidity and Mortality. Rebecca Ferrini, MD, MPH, University of California/California State University. Am J Prev Med. February 2000.

· Folic Acid Fortification of Grain Products in the U.S. to Prevent Neural Tube Defects. Jennifer Bentley, MD, MPH, Rebecca Ferrini, MD, MPH, and Linda Hill, MD, MPH., San Diego, California. Am J Prev Med. April 1999.

· Strengthening Motor Vehicle Occupant Protection Laws. Rebecca Ferrini, MD, MPH. University of California/California State Univ. Am J Prev Med. September/October 1997.

· Breastfeeding. Miriam Labbok, MD, MPH, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

· Handgun Control. Christopher R. Armstrong, MD, MPH, Naval Branch Medical Clinic, Jacksonville, North Carolina.

· Newborn Hearing Screening. Thomas Clark, MD and Jay Kravitz, MD, MPH, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon.

· Violence Prevention. Haq Nawaz, MD, MPH and David Katz, MD, MPH, Griffin Hospital, Connecticut.

· The Availability of Emergency Contraception as an Over-the-Counter Medication. Julie Howe, MD and Linda Hill, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina.

· PPD Screening in School Children. Soju Chang, MD, MPH and Miriam Alexander, MD, MPH, John Hopkins University.

· Screening for Domestic Violence. Arlene Seid, MD and Linda Hill, MD, MPH, San Diego State University.