National Survey Demonstrates Low Consumer Knowledge and Mistrust of Prevention Guidelines More than One-Third Believe that the Government Uses Guidelines to Ration Health Care

How well do US consumers understand clinical preventive services and their guidelines? Not terribly well, says a new study published in the March 2016 issue of The Milbank Quarterly that surveyed adults about their knowledge of and attitude toward government-sponsored preventive care guidelines, such as cancer-screening tests. The survey, conducted by University of Michigan and George Washington University researchers, found that while participants had low levels of knowledge and trust for clinical service guidelines, about half thought it was important for health care providers to follow guidelines when advising patients and that research should be the most important factor when crafting guidelines.