Establishing and Maintaining Trust: How the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Uses Strategic Communications to Build Confidence in and Disseminate Its Evidence-Based Recommendations

Abstract

In an era of conflicting health guidance and misinformation, the need for evidence-based recommendations-and clear communication about them-is critical. This paper examines the ways in which strategic communications support for the United States Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) helps to fulfill its mission to improve the health of all people nationwide through evidence-based preventive services recommendations. This paper describes communications challenges specific to the Task Force and how its strategic communications approach helps to address them. To exemplify the Task Force's process for developing recommendations and how it achieves impact, this paper provides two case examples, one that focuses on a topic that garnered a lot of public interest and one that focuses on the perception of "more care is better care." It also presents key principles in building and maintaining trust through focused communications that may assist others in effectively communicating and disseminating health information.