professional Reprinted from AustRAliAn FAmily PhysiciAn Vol. 39, no. 1/2, JAnuARy/FebRuARy 2010 63

Practitioners (RAcGP) has published the Guidelines for preventive activities in general practice9 (the ‘red book ’ www.racgp.org.au/guidelines/redbook) since 1989. it contains evidence based strategies for the prevention of chronic disease.10 originally a brief summary of recommendations for specific preventive activities in general practice, the ‘red book ’ now provides a more comprehensive guide to preventive care with recommendations tailored to the individual patient’s risk. the red book is designed to be used with the partner publication, Putting prevention into general practice: guidelines for the implementation of prevention in the general practice setting (the ‘green book’).11 in this article we describe the processes for the red book‘s development and the challenges faced related to the changing needs and requirements of general practice. AGREE framework there is a significant risk of harm from inappropriate preventive care and cost to government and consumers.12 the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and evaluation (AGRee)13 collaboration has identified six dimensions that a guideline should address in order to demonstrate quality and improve its effectiveness (www. agreecollaboration.org): • scope and purpose • clarity of presentation • rigor of development • stakeholder involvement • applicability • editorial independence. the Red book task Force use these dimensions as a framework to analyse the preventive guidelines and to identify risks and future directions. General practice provides consultations to approximately 86 % of Australians each year1 across the continuum from prevention of illness to treatment and rehabilitation. Opportunistic preventive care, especially in high risk groups, is ideally located in general practice.2–5 The role of general practice in prevention has been recognised by the Council o