Cost savings associated with improving appropriate and reducing inappropriate preventive care: cost-consequences analysis

Table 1 Preventive manoeuvres studied

Level of Evidence	Preventive Manoeuvre
A ^Ω & B ^¥ -categories: (Appropriate)	1. Folic acid for primary prevention of neural tube defects
	2. Smoking cessation and nicotine replacement
	3. Treatment for Hypertension
	4. Mammography and exam in women over 50
	5. STD screening for high risk groups
	6. Papanicolaou smears for sexually active women
	7. Influenza vaccination to patients 65 and older
	8. Blood pressure measurement for patients 21 to 64 years of age
D ^ψ - category: (Inappropriate)	1. Proteinuria screening for general population
	2. Blood glucose for the general population
	3. Prostate-specific antigen testing for men over 50
	4. Chest radiography
	5. Mammography in women under 50

^Ω There is excellent evidence from repeated randomized controlled trials to support the manoeuvre.
^¥ There is good evidence from cohort and case-control studies to support the manoeuvre.
^ψ Not recommended on the basis of fair evidence not to perform the manoeuvre.

ISSN: 1472-6963