March 4, 2025
Pause in work of Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care jeopardizes many clinical practice guidelines
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (Task Force) has been instructed by federal Health Minister Minster Mark Holland to pause work on developing clinical practice guidelines for primary care clinicians in Canada.
This pause could jeopardize work on five guidelines nearing submission in 2025 for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition to breast cancer screening, guideline topics in late-stage development include recommendations on tobacco cessation, screening for adult depression and depression in children and youth, and cervical cancer screening.
“We are concerned that this unexpected pause will jeopardize five important guidelines that provide guidance to primary care clinicians in Canada, from recommendations on quitting smoking to depression in adults and children and youth, cervical cancer screening, and of course breast cancer screening,” says Dr. Guylene Theriault, Chair of the Task Force. “These guidelines are the result of years of work by scientific experts in evidence review.”
This pause could negate years of work on the many guidelines in active development which are supported by scientific experts in evidence review and guideline development. In addition to the topics above, lung cancer screening, prostate cancer, falls prevention in older adults are other guidelines currently underway that will be paused.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), which funds the Task Force, created an External Expert Review (EER) Panel “to study the governance, mandate, and scientific review processes of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (Task Force).”
“The Task Force has been very much anticipating the insights and recommendations of the External Expert Review panel on how to improve guideline development to support clinicians and the health of Canadians,” says Dr. Theriault. “We welcome their recommendations which may take time to implement, but are surprised by this announcement from the Minister.”
Task Force members are volunteers supported by staff with expertise in a variety of areas, from evidence synthesis and guideline development to patient partnership and development of clinician and patient tools to support guidelines. The Task Force is an independent body with the role of providing conflict free evidence-based guidelines on prevention and screening for primary care providers in Canada.
Statement from the Minister of Health From: Public Health Agency of Canada