The methodological quality assessment of systematic review/meta-analysis of Shenfu injection in treating heart failure based on AMSTAR 2

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the methodological quality of the systematic evaluation literature of Shenfu injection in the treatment of heart failure with AMSTAR 2 statement. Methods Searching includes Chongqing VIP Database, China Knowledge Network Database , China Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Database, PubMed Database, Cochrane library database, search time limit from database construction to Dec 31st, 2017. Two evaluators independently screened the literature based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and applied the AMSTAR 2 statement list to evaluate all the systematic review literatures included. Results A total of 9 articles were included in the study, and the average reporting rate is 43.75%. The low-reporting domains focused on the review protocols prior to the research, the types of the included studies, the list of excluded documents, the evaluation and causes of bias of risks and heterogeneity, and reports on funds and conflicts of interest. Conclusions The average reporting rate is low overall, indicating that the current reports of the systematic review has defects, which affects the credibility of the systematic review and the use of evidence. For the determination of clinical decision-making, it is recommended that researchers should follow the AMSTAR 2 statement to improve the methodological or reporting quality. Key words: Heart failure; Shenfu injection; Overview of systematic review; Meta-analysis; Methodological quality