• Britta L Anderson, Renata R Urban, Mark Pearlman, and Jay Schulkin.
• Department of Research, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, USA. Electronic address: banderson@acog.org.
• Prev Med. 2014 Feb 1; 59: 79-82.

ObjectiveInvestigate the knowledge and opinions of obstetrician and gynecologists (ob-gyns) regarding the USPSTF committee and statement, and to assess their reactions to healthcare legislation.MethodsA national cross-sectional survey study of ob-gyns was conducted six months after a controversial USPSTF recommendation statement was released in November 2009. Ob-gyns' opinions about the Women's Health Amendment (WHA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were also assessed.ResultsA total of 54% of ob-gyns knew that the USPSTF recommendations do not represent the position of the U.S. government and 40% knew that the USPSTF is not comprised of federal employees. A majority (60%) thought that the USPSTF was influenced by potential costs more than guidelines should be. When examining ob-gyns opinions about new national health policies, 88% support the mammography coverage provided by the WHA but support for the ACA varied.ConclusionThis study provides a snapshot of ob-gyns' knowledge and opinions about the USPSTF and breast cancer screening guidelines at a controversial point in time. Our findings are a unique contribution to larger efforts to understand health and political policy as the culture of medicine continues to evolve.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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