Preventive services compose a large portion of primary care pediatrics, and pediatricians by their nature and training seem extraordinarily disposed toward clinical prevention. Therefore, when the first edition of the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services appeared in 1989 from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the negative reaction of the organized pediatric community was disappointing.
The second edition of that guide has just been released, and we three pediatricians, who have worked hard during the past 5 years as members and staff of the second task force, hope for a far more positive reaction from our colleagues this time around.