Methodological Quality Assessment of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in Ulcerative Colitis Field in China

Objectives To examine epidemiological and reporting characteristics as well as methodological quality of SRs of Ulcerative Colitis published in Chinese journals. Methods Four Chinese databases were searched （CNKI, CBM, Wanfang and VIP） for SRs of UC, from inception through Dec 2012. Data were extracted into Excel spreadsheets. The AMSTAR checklists were used to assess reporting characteristics and methodological quality. Results A total of 46 SRs were identified, meta-analysis was conducted in almost all the reviews （93%） and there were no significant differences between groups. Pathogenesis review, diagnosis review and cure review were included. Most of the reviews （96.1%） were published in general journals. Only one-third （30.4%） were published in journals cited by Chinese Science Citation Database （CSCD）. None of the reviews had been updated. Most （96.2%） used appropriate methods to combine the findings of studies. About half （50.0%） reported assessing for publication bias. Only a few reviews （9.6%） reported on conflict of interest and ‘a priori' design were not provided for any reviews. Conclusions As a whole, the included reviews and meta-analyses have more or less flaws with regard to the quality of methodology based on the AMSTAR checklists. Focusing on the improvement of methodological quality of systematic review/meta-analysis in ulcerative colitis field in China is urgently needed in order to increase the value of these studies.