CDC/HHS on aspirin
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Discussion of daily aspirin use between a physician and an at-risk adult "is one of the most valuable preventive services that can be offered in medical practice today," according to a May 16 report by the Partnership for Prevention. "Priorities for America's Health: Capitalizing on Life-Saving, Cost-Effective Preventive Services" was funded by HHS, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. Researchers analyzed more than 8,000 published studies and ranked preventive services according to two criteria: disease, injury, and death prevented if the service were delivered to all the people who would benefit from it, and cost effectiveness. Discussion of daily aspirin use topped the list along with immunizations of children and intervening with smokers to convince them to quit. The report calls aspirin "one of the most underused important interventions" and states that if physicians advised all high-risk adults to consider daily aspirin therapy, 80,000 lives could be saved annually with a net medical cost savings of $70 per person. The report is slated for publication in the July American Journal of Preventive Medicine...