On Aug. 7 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force posted for public input a draft research plan to address screening for obstructive sleep apnea. The plan, which is available for comment until Sept. 3, 2014, at 5 p.m. EDT, presents proposed key questions, contextual questions and overall research approach. The final research plan will be used to guide a systematic review of the evidence that will form the basis of a USPSTF recommendation statement on this topic. The AASM is reviewing the draft research plan and will submit comments to the USPSTF. AASM members also are encouraged to submit individual comments prior to the Sept. 3 deadline.
The USPSTF is an independent panel of primary care providers who are non-Federal experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. The USPSTF conducts scientific evidence reviews of a broad range of clinical preventive health care services and develops recommendations for primary care clinicians and health systems. Since 1998, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has been authorized by the U.S. Congress to convene the USPSTF and to provide ongoing scientific, administrative, and dissemination support.
