Guidelines and Guidance

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and

Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement
David Moher1,2*, Alessandro Liberati3,4, Jennifer Tetzlaff1, Douglas G. Altman5, The PRISMA Group"
1 Ottawa Methods Centre, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 2 Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 3 Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy, 4 Centro Cochrane Italiano, Istituto Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario
Negri, Milan, Italy, 5 Centre for Statistics in Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

Introduction clinicians, medical editors, and a consumer. The objective of the

Ottawa meeting was to revise and expand the QUOROM
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have become increasingly checklist and flow diagram, as needed.
important in health care. Clinicians read them to keep up to date The executive committee completed the following tasks, prior to
with their field [1,2], and they are often used as a starting point for the meeting: a systematic review of studies examining the quality
developing clinical practice guidelines. Granting agencies may of reporting of systematic reviews, and a comprehensive literature
require a systematic review to ensure there is justification for search to identify methodological and other articles that might
further research [3], and some health care journals are moving in inform the meeting, especially in relation to modifying checklist
this direction [4]. As with all research, the value of a systematic items. An international survey of review authors, consumers, and
review depends on what was done, what was found, and the clarity groups commissioning or using systematic reviews and meta-
of reporting. As with other publications, the reporting quality of analyses was completed, including the International Network of
systematic reviews varies, limiting readers’ ability to assess the Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) and the
strengths and weaknesses of those reviews. Guidelines International Network (GIN). The survey aimed to
Several early studies evaluated the quality of review reports. In ascertain views of QUOROM, including the merits of the existing
1987, Mulrow examined 50 review articles published in four leading checklist items. The results of these activities were presented
medical journals in 1985 and 1986 and found that none met all eight during the meeting and are summarized on the PRISMA Web site
explicit scientific criteria, such as a quality assessment of included (http://www.prisma-statement.org/).
studies [5]. In 1987, Sacks and colleagues [6] evaluated the adequacy Only items deemed essential were retained or added to the
of reporting of 83 meta-analyses on 23 characteristics in six domains. checklist. Some additional items are nevertheless desirable, and
Reporting was generally poor; between one and 14 characteristics review authors should include these, if relevant [10]. For example,
were adequately reported (mean = 7.7; standard deviation = 2.7). A it is useful to indicate whether the systematic review is an update
1996 update of this study found little improvement [7]. [11] of a previous review, and to describe any changes in
In 1996, to address the suboptimal reporting of meta-analyses, procedures from those described in the original protocol.
an international group developed a guidance called the
QUOROM Statement (QUality Of Reporting Of Meta-analyses),
Citation: Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA
which focused on the reporting of meta-analyses of randomized Group (2009) Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-
controlled trials [8]. In this article, we summarize a revision of Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med 6(7): e1000097. doi:10.1371/
these guidelines, renamed PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items journal.pmed.1000097
for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses), which have been Published July 21, 2009
updated to address several conceptual and practical advances in Copyright: ß 2009 Moher et al. This is an open-access article distributed under
the science of systematic reviews (Box 1). the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original author and source are credited.
Terminology Funding: PRISMA was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research;
Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy; Cancer Research UK; Clinical Evidence
The terminology used to describe a systematic review and meta- BMJ Knowledge; the Cochrane Collaboration; and GlaxoSmithKline, Canada. AL is
analysis has evolved over time. One reason for changing the name funded, in part, through grants of the Italian Ministry of University (COFIN - PRIN
from QUOROM to PRISMA was the desire to encompass both 2002 prot. 2002061749 and COFIN - PRIN 2006 prot. 2006062298). DGA is funded
by Cancer Research UK. DM is funded by a University of Ottawa Research Chair.
systematic reviews and meta-analyses. We have adopted the None of the sponsors had any involvement in the planning, execution, or write-up
definitions used by the Cochrane Collaboration [9]. A systematic of the PRISMA documents. Additionally, no funder played a role in drafting the
review is a review of a clearly formulated question that uses manuscript.
systematic and explicit methods to identify, select, and critically Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests
appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyze data from exist.
the studies that are included in the review. Statistical methods Abbreviations: PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and
(meta-analysis) may or may not be used to analyze and summarize Meta-Analyses; QUOROM, QUality Of Reporting Of Meta-analyses.
the results of the included studies. Meta-analysis refers to the use of * E-mail: [email protected]
statistical techniques in a systematic review to integrate the results " Membership of the PRISMA Group is provided in the Acknowledgments.
of included studies. Provenance: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed. In order to
encourage dissemination of the PRISMA Statement, this article is freely accessible
on the PLoS Medicine Web site (http://medicine.plosjournals.org/) and will be also
Developing the PRISMA Statement published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, BMJ, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology,
and Open Medicine. The authors jointly hold the copyright of this article. For
A three-day meeting was held in Ottawa, Canada, in June 2005 details on further use, see the PRISMA Web site (http://www.prisma-statement.
with 29 participants, including review authors, methodologists, org/).

PLoS Medicine | www.plosmedicine.org 1 July 2009 | Volume 6 | Issue 7 | e1000097

 Box 1: Conceptual Issues in the Evolution from Although no direct evidence was found to support retaining or
QUOROM to PRISMA adding some items, evidence from other domains was believed to
be relevant. For example, Item 5 asks authors to provide
Completing a Systematic Review Is an Iterative registration information about the systematic review, including a
Process The conduct of a systematic review depends registration number, if available. Although systematic review
heavily on the scope and quality of included studies: thus registration is not yet widely available [12,13], the participating
systematic reviewers may need to modify their original journals of the International Committee of Medical Journal
review protocol during its conduct. Any systematic review Editors (ICMJE) [14] now require all clinical trials to be registered
reporting guideline should recommend that such changes in an effort to increase transparency and accountability [15].
can be reported and explained without suggesting that Those aspects are also likely to benefit systematic reviewers,
they are inappropriate. The PRISMA Statement (Items 5, 11, possibly reducing the risk of an excessive number of reviews
16, and 23) acknowledges this iterative process. Aside from addressing the same question [16,17] and providing greater
Cochrane reviews, all of which should have a protocol,
transparency when updating systematic reviews.
only about 10% of systematic reviewers report working
from a protocol [22]. Without a protocol that is publicly
accessible, it is difficult to judge between appropriate and The PRISMA Statement
inappropriate modifications.
The PRISMA Statement consists of a 27-item checklist (Table 1;
Conduct and Reporting Research Are Distinct see also Text S1 for a downloadable Word template for researchers
Concepts This distinction is, however, less to re-use) and a four-phase flow diagram (Figure 1; see also Figure
straightforward for systematic reviews than for S1 for a downloadable Word template for researchers to re-use).
assessments of the reporting of an individual study, The aim of the PRISMA Statement is to help authors improve the
because the reporting and conduct of systematic reviews reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. We have focused
are, by nature, closely intertwined. For example, the failure on randomized trials, but PRISMA can also be used as a basis for
of a systematic review to report the assessment of the risk reporting systematic reviews of other types of research, particularly
of bias in included studies may be seen as a marker of poor evaluations of interventions. PRISMA may also be useful for critical
conduct, given the importance of this activity in the appraisal of published systematic reviews. However, the PRISMA
systematic review process [37]. checklist is not a quality assessment instrument to gauge the quality
of a systematic review.
Study-Level Versus Outcome-Level Assessment of
Risk of Bias For studies included in a systematic review, a
thorough assessment of the risk of bias requires both a
From QUOROM to PRISMA
‘‘study-level’’ assessment (e.g., adequacy of allocation The new PRISMA checklist differs in several respects from the
concealment) and, for some features, a newer approach QUOROM checklist, and the substantive specific changes are
called ‘‘outcome-level’’ assessment. An outcome-level highlighted in Table 2. Generally, the PRISMA checklist
assessment involves evaluating the reliability and validity ‘‘decouples’’ several items present in the QUOROM checklist
of the data for each important outcome by determining and, where applicable, several checklist items are linked to
the methods used to assess them in each individual study
improve consistency across the systematic review report.
[38]. The quality of evidence may differ across outcomes,
even within a study, such as between a primary efficacy The flow diagram has also been modified. Before including
outcome, which is likely to be very carefully and studies and providing reasons for excluding others, the review
systematically measured, and the assessment of serious team must first search the literature. This search results in records.
harms [39], which may rely on spontaneous reports by Once these records have been screened and eligibility criteria
investigators. This information should be reported to allow applied, a smaller number of articles will remain. The number of
an explicit assessment of the extent to which an estimate included articles might be smaller (or larger) than the number of
of effect is correct [38]. studies, because articles may report on multiple studies and results
from a particular study may be published in several articles. To
Importance of Reporting Biases Different types of capture this information, the PRISMA flow diagram now requests
reporting biases may hamper the conduct and information on these phases of the review process.
interpretation of systematic reviews. Selective reporting
of complete studies (e.g., publication bias) [28] as well as Endorsement
the more recently empirically demonstrated ‘‘outcome
reporting bias’’ within individual studies [40,41] should be The PRISMA Statement should replace the QUOROM State-
considered by authors when conducting a systematic ment for those journals that have endorsed QUOROM. We hope
review and reporting its results. Though the implications of that other journals will support PRISMA; they can do so by registering
these biases on the conduct and reporting of systematic on the PRISMA Web site. To underscore to authors, and others, the
reviews themselves are unclear, some previous research importance of transparent reporting of systematic reviews, we
has identified that selective outcome reporting may occur encourage supporting journals to reference the PRISMA Statement
also in the context of systematic reviews [42].
and include the PRISMA Web address in their Instructions to
Authors. We also invite editorial organizations to consider endorsing
PRISMA and encourage authors to adhere to its principles.
Shortly after the meeting a draft of the PRISMA checklist was
circulated to the group, including those invited to the meeting but The PRISMA Explanation and Elaboration Paper
unable to attend. A disposition file was created containing
comments and revisions from each respondent, and the checklist In addition to the PRISMA Statement, a supporting Explana-
was subsequently revised 11 times. The group approved the tion and Elaboration document has been produced [18] following
checklist, flow diagram, and this summary paper. the style used for other reporting guidelines [19–21]. The process

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Figure 1. Flow of information through the different phases of a systematic review.
doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097.g001

of completing this document included developing a large database reviews are now conducted to investigate cost-effectiveness [31],
of exemplars to highlight how best to report each checklist item, diagnostic [32] or prognostic questions [33], genetic associations
and identifying a comprehensive evidence base to support the [34], and policy making [35]. The general concepts and topics
inclusion of each checklist item. The Explanation and Elaboration covered by PRISMA are all relevant to any systematic review, not
document was completed after several face to face meetings and just those whose objective is to summarize the benefits and harms
numerous iterations among several meeting participants, after of a health care intervention. However, some modifications of the
which it was shared with the whole group for additional revisions checklist items or flow diagram will be necessary in particular
and final approval. Finally, the group formed a dissemination circumstances. For example, assessing the risk of bias is a key
subcommittee to help disseminate and implement PRISMA. concept, but the items used to assess this in a diagnostic review are
likely to focus on issues such as the spectrum of patients and the
verification of disease status, which differ from reviews of
Discussion
interventions. The flow diagram will also need adjustments when
The quality of reporting of systematic reviews is still not reporting individual patient data meta-analysis [36].
optimal [22–27]. In a recent review of 300 systematic reviews, We have developed an explanatory document [18] to increase
few authors reported assessing possible publication bias [22], the usefulness of PRISMA. For each checklist item, this document
even though there is overwhelming evidence both for its contains an example of good reporting, a rationale for its inclusion,
existence [28] and its impact on the results of systematic and supporting evidence, including references, whenever possible.
reviews [29]. Even when the possibility of publication bias is We believe this document will also serve as a useful resource for
assessed, there is no guarantee that systematic reviewers have those teaching systematic review methodology. We encourage
assessed or interpreted it appropriately [30]. Although the journals to include reference to the explanatory document in their
absence of reporting such an assessment does not necessarily Instructions to Authors.
indicate that it was not done, reporting an assessment of possible Like any evidence-based endeavor, PRISMA is a living
publication bias is likely to be a marker of the thoroughness of document. To this end we invite readers to comment on the
the conduct of the systematic review. revised version, particularly the new checklist and flow diagram,
Several approaches have been developed to conduct systematic through the PRISMA Web site. We will use such information to
reviews on a broader array of questions. For example, systematic inform PRISMA’s continued development.

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Table 1. Checklist of items to include when reporting a systematic review or meta-analysis.

Reported on
Section/Topic # Checklist Item Page #

TITLE
Title 1 Identify the report as a systematic review, meta-analysis, or both.
ABSTRACT
Structured summary 2 Provide a structured summary including, as applicable: background; objectives; data sources; study eligibility
criteria, participants, and interventions; study appraisal and synthesis methods; results; limitations; conclusions
and implications of key findings; systematic review registration number.
INTRODUCTION
Rationale 3 Describe the rationale for the review in the context of what is already known.
Objectives 4 Provide an explicit statement of questions being addressed with reference to participants, interventions,
comparisons, outcomes, and study design (PICOS).
METHODS
Protocol and registration 5 Indicate if a review protocol exists, if and where it can be accessed (e.g., Web address), and, if available, provide
registration information including registration number.
Eligibility criteria 6 Specify study characteristics (e.g., PICOS, length of follow-up) and report characteristics (e.g., years considered,
language, publication status) used as criteria for eligibility, giving rationale.
Information sources 7 Describe all information sources (e.g., databases with dates of coverage, contact with study authors to identify
additional studies) in the search and date last searched.
Search 8 Present full electronic search strategy for at least one database, including any limits used, such that it could be
repeated.
Study selection 9 State the process for selecting studies (i.e., screening, eligibility, included in systematic review, and, if applicable,
included in the meta-analysis).
Data collection process 10 Describe method of data extraction from reports (e.g., piloted forms, independently, in duplicate) and any
processes for obtaining and confirming data from investigators.
Data items 11 List and define all variables for which data were sought (e.g., PICOS, funding sources) and any assumptions and
simplifications made.
Risk of bias in individual 12 Describe methods used for assessing risk of bias of individual studies (including specification of whether this was
studies done at the study or outcome level), and how this information is to be used in any data synthesis.
Summary measures 13 State the principal summary measures (e.g., risk ratio, difference in means).
Synthesis of results 14 Describe the methods of handling data and combining results of studies, if done, including measures of
consistency (e.g., I2) for each meta-analysis.
Risk of bias across studies 15 Specify any assessment of risk of bias that may affect the cumulative evidence (e.g., publication bias, selective
reporting within studies).
Additional analyses 16 Describe methods of additional analyses (e.g., sensitivity or subgroup analyses, meta-regression), if done,
indicating which were pre-specified.
RESULTS
Study selection 17 Give numbers of studies screened, assessed for eligibility, and included in the review, with reasons for exclusions
at each stage, ideally with a flow diagram.
Study characteristics 18 For each study, present characteristics for which data were extracted (e.g., study size, PICOS, follow-up period)
and provide the citations.
Risk of bias within studies 19 Present data on risk of bias of each study and, if available, any outcome-level assessment (see Item 12).
Results of individual studies 20 For all outcomes considered (benefits or harms), present, for each study: (a) simple summary data for each
intervention group and (b) effect estimates and confidence intervals, ideally with a forest plot.
Synthesis of results 21 Present results of each meta-analysis done, including confidence intervals and measures of consistency.
Risk of bias across studies 22 Present results of any assessment of risk of bias across studies (see Item 15).
Additional analysis 23 Give results of additional analyses, if done (e.g., sensitivity or subgroup analyses, meta-regression [see Item 16]).
DISCUSSION
Summary of evidence 24 Summarize the main findings including the strength of evidence for each main outcome; consider their
relevance to key groups (e.g., health care providers, users, and policy makers).
Limitations 25 Discuss limitations at study and outcome level (e.g., risk of bias), and at review level (e.g., incomplete retrieval of
identified research, reporting bias).
Conclusions 26 Provide a general interpretation of the results in the context of other evidence, and implications for future
research.
FUNDING
Funding 27 Describe sources of funding for the systematic review and other support (e.g., supply of data); role of funders for
the systematic review.

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097.t001

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 Table 2. Substantive specific changes between the QUOROM checklist and the PRISMA checklist (a tick indicates the presence of
the topic in QUOROM or PRISMA).

Section/Topic Item QUOROM PRISMA Comment

Abstract ! ! QUOROM and PRISMA ask authors to report an abstract. However, PRISMA is not
specific about format.
Introduction Objective ! This new item (4) addresses the explicit question the review addresses using the PICO
reporting system (which describes the participants, interventions, comparisons, and
outcome(s) of the systematic review), together with the specification of the type of
study design (PICOS); the item is linked to Items 6, 11, and 18 of the checklist.
Methods Protocol ! This new item (5) asks authors to report whether the review has a protocol and if so
how it can be accessed.
Methods Search ! ! Although reporting the search is present in both QUOROM and PRISMA checklists,
PRISMA asks authors to provide a full description of at least one electronic search
strategy (Item 8). Without such information it is impossible to repeat the authors’
search.
Methods Assessment of ! ! Renamed from ‘‘quality assessment’’ in QUOROM. This item (12) is linked with
risk of bias in reporting this information in the results (Item 19). The new concept of ‘‘outcome-
included studies level’’ assessment has been introduced.
Methods Assessment of ! This new item (15) asks authors to describe any assessments of risk of bias in the
risk of bias across review, such as selective reporting within the included studies. This item is linked
studies with reporting this information in the results (Item 22).
Discussion ! ! Although both QUOROM and PRISMA checklists address the discussion section,
PRISMA devotes three items (24–26) to the discussion. In PRISMA the main types of
limitations are explicitly stated and their discussion required.
Funding ! This new item (27) asks authors to provide information on any sources of funding for
the systematic review.

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097.t002

Supporting Information School of Public Health (Baltimore, Maryland, US); Matthias Egger,
MD, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern
Figure S1 Flow of information through the different (Bern, Switzerland); Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCP(Edin),
phases of a systematic review (downloadable template Peninsula Medical School (Exeter, UK); Peter C. Gøtzsche, MD, MSc,
document for researchers to re-use). The Nordic Cochrane Centre (Copenhagen, Denmark); Jeremy Grim-
shaw, MBChB, PhD, FRCFP, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Found at: doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097.s001 (0.08 MB
(Ottawa, Canada); Gordon Guyatt, MD, Departments of Medicine,
DOC) Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University (Hamilton,
Text S1 Checklist of items to include when reporting a Canada); Julian Higgins, PhD, MRC Biostatistics Unit (Cambridge, UK);
systematic review or meta-analysis (downloadable tem- John P. A. Ioannidis, MD, University of Ioannina Campus (Ioannina,
Greece); Jos Kleijnen, MD, PhD, Kleijnen Systematic Reviews Ltd
plate document for researchers to re-use).
(York, UK) and School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI),
Found at: doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097.s002 (0.04 MB University of Maastricht (Maastricht, Netherlands); Tom Lang, MA,
DOC) Tom Lang Communications and Training (Davis, California, US);
Alessandro Liberati, MD, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Acknowledgments (Modena, Italy) and Centro Cochrane Italiano, Istituto Ricerche
Farmacologiche Mario Negri (Milan, Italy); Nicola Magrini, MD, NHS
The following people contributed to the PRISMA Statement: Doug Centre for the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Health Care – CeVEAS
Altman, DSc, Centre for Statistics in Medicine (Oxford, UK); Gerd (Modena, Italy); David McNamee, PhD, The Lancet (London, UK);
Antes, PhD, University Hospital Freiburg (Freiburg, Germany); David Lorenzo Moja, MD, MSc, Centro Cochrane Italiano, Istituto Ricerche
Atkins, MD, MPH, Health Services Research and Development Service, Farmacologiche Mario Negri (Milan, Italy); David Moher, PhD, Ottawa
Veterans Health Administration (Washington, D. C., US); Virginia Methods Centre, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Ottawa, Canada);
Barbour, MRCP, DPhil, PLoS Medicine (Cambridge, UK); Nick Barrow- Cynthia Mulrow, MD, MSc, Annals of Internal Medicine (Philadelphia,
man, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (Ottawa, Canada); Pennsylvania, US); Maryann Napoli, Center for Medical Consumers
Jesse A. Berlin, ScD, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and (New York, New York, US); Andy Oxman, MD, Norwegian Health
Development (Titusville, New Jersey, US); Jocalyn Clark, PhD, PLoS Services Research Centre (Oslo, Norway); Ba’ Pham, MMath, Toronto
Medicine (at the time of writing, BMJ, London, UK); Mike Clarke, PhD, Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative (Toronto,
UK Cochrane Centre (Oxford, UK) and School of Nursing and Canada) (at the time of the first meeting of the group, GlaxoSmithKline
Midwifery, Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland); Deborah Cook, MD, Canada, Mississauga, Canada); Drummond Rennie, MD, FRCP, FACP,
Departments of Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco (San Francisco, California, US);
McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada); Roberto D’Amico, PhD, Margaret Sampson, MLIS, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Modena, Italy) and Centro (Ottawa, Canada); Kenneth F. Schulz, PhD, MBA, Family Health
Cochrane Italiano, Istituto Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri International (Durham, North Carolina, US); Paul G. Shekelle, MD,
(Milan, Italy); Jonathan J. Deeks, PhD, University of Birmingham PhD, Southern California Evidence Based Practice Center (Santa
(Birmingham, UK); P. J. Devereaux, MD, PhD, Departments of Monica, California, US); Jennifer Tetzlaff, BSc, Ottawa Methods
Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University Centre, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Ottawa, Canada); David
(Hamilton, Canada); Kay Dickersin, PhD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Tovey, FRCGP, The Cochrane Library, Cochrane Collaboration

PLoS Medicine | www.plosmedicine.org 5 July 2009 | Volume 6 | Issue 7 | e1000097

(Oxford, UK) (at the time of the first meeting of the group, BMJ, paper: DM AL JT DGA. Participated in regular conference calls, identified
London, UK); Peter Tugwell, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Institute of the participants, secured funds, planned the meeting, participated in the
Population Health, University of Ottawa (Ottawa, Canada). meeting, and drafted the manuscript: DM AL DGA. Participated in
identifying the evidence base for PRISMA, refining the checklist, and
Author Contributions drafting the manuscript: JT. Agree with the recommendations: DM AL JT
DGA.
ICMJE criteria for authorship read and met: DM AL JT DGA. Wrote the
first draft of the paper: DM AL DGA. Contributed to the writing of the

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PLoS Medicine | www.plosmedicine.org 6 July 2009 | Volume 6 | Issue 7 | e1000097