Practice guidelines for preventive care: the Canadian experience. Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination.

The work of the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination is described in the historical context of its creation and of its evolution. The initial mandate of the task force is presented and the methodology it created to examine scientific information and formulate practice recommendations is reviewed. The complexity of the implementation of practice guidelines in preventive care is examined by reviewing the several determinants of implementation: cognitive, sociodemographic and organizational factors. The actions taken in Canada to implement the guidelines since the publication of the first task force report are described. The importance of better coordinated clinical and population-based approaches to prevention is emphasized.