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Epidemiology, methodological and reporting characteristics of systematic reviews of nursing interventions published in C hina
Author(s) -
Shi Chunhu,
Zhu Lin,
Wang Xue,
Qin Chunxia,
Xu Qi,
Tian Jinhui
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of nursing practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1440-172X
pISSN - 1322-7114
DOI - 10.1111/ijn.12255
Subject(s) - epidemiology , psychological intervention , medicine , systematic review , medline , nursing interventions classification , gerontology , nursing , pathology , chemistry , biochemistry
The importance of systematic reviews ( SR s) of nursing interventions' impact on practice makes their methodological quality and reporting characteristics especially important as it directly influence their utility for clinicians, patients and policy makers.The study aims to assess the methodological quality and reporting characteristics of SRs of nursing interventions in Chinese nursing journals. Three C hinese databases were searched for SR s of nursing interventions from inception to O ctober 2011. The assessment of multiple systematic reviews ( AMSTAR ) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses ( PRISMA ) statements were used to assess methodological quality and reporting characteristics. Seventy‐four SRs were included. The proportion of SRs complying with AMSTAR checklist items ranged from 0% to 82.4%. No SR s reported an ‘a priori’ design or conflict of interest. Only four items were found to be reported in more than 50% of the SR s: a list of included and excluded studies, the scientific quality of included studies, the appropriate use of methods to combine findings, and formulating conclusions appropriately. The majority of SR s of nursing interventions in C hina had major methodological and reporting flaws that limited their value to guide decisions. C hinese authors and journals should adopt and keep up with the AMSTAR and PRISMA statements to improve the quality of SR s in this field.