This document has been approved by the AASLD, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the American College of Gastroenterology.

Preamble

These recommendations provide a data-supported approach to establishing guidelines. They are based on the following:

(1) a formal review and analysis of the recently published world literature on the topic (Medline search up to September 2008); (2) the American College of Physicians’ Manual for Assessing Health Practices and Designing Practice Guidelines; 1 (3) guideline policies, including the American Association for the Study of LiverDiseases’ (AASLD) Policy on the Development and Use of Practice Guidelines and the American Gastroenterological Association’s Policy Statement on the Use ofMedical Practice Guidelines; 2 and (4) the experience of the authors in regard to hepatitis C.