The PRISMA Statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: explanation and elaboration

The PRISMA Statement consists of a 27-item checklist and a four-phase flow diagram. The checklist includes items deemed essential for transparent reporting of a systematic review. In this Explanation and Elaboration document, the authors explain the meaning and rationale for each checklist item. For each item, the authors include an example of good reporting and, where possible, references to relevant empirical studies and methodological literature.