Table 3 Quality assessment
Author | Is the study design clearly reported? | Is the hypothesis/aim/objective of the study clearly described? | Are the main outcomes to be measured clearly described in the Introduction or Methods section? | Are the characteristics of the patients included in the study clearly described? | Are the distributions of principal confounders in each group of subjects to be compared clearly described? | Are the main findings of the study clearly described? | Does the study provide estimates of the random variability in the data for the main outcomes? | Have actual probability values been reported for the main outcomes except where the probability value is < 0.001? | Was there potential for recall bias in the ascertainment of the exposure? | Was there potential for differential or non-differential misclassification of the exposure? | Was there potential for observer bias in ascertainment of the outcome? | Was there potential for differential or non-differential misclassification of the outcome? | If any of the results of the study were based on ‘data dredging’ was this made clear? | Do the analyses adjust for different lengths of follow-up of patients, or in case-control studies, is the time period between the intervention and outcome the same for cases and controls? | Were the statistical tests used to assess the main outcomes appropriate? | Were the main outcome measures used accurate (valid and reliable)? | Were the patients in different intervention groups (trials and cohort studies) or were the cases and controls (case-control studies) recruited from the same population? | Were study subjects in different intervention groups (trials and cohort studies) or were the cases and controls (case-control studies) recruited over the same period of time? | Was there adequate adjustment for confounding in the analyses of interest? | Were losses of patients to follow-up taken into account? | Are the study results appropriately interpreted e.g. in terms of the strength of the evidence, its application/implications, causality? | Did the study have sufficient power to detect a clinically important effect where the probability value for a difference being due to chance is less than 5%?a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cai [19] | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | U | Y | 0 |
Chen [20] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N | U | N | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Chen [21] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N/A | N | N/A | Y | Y | Y | N | U | N | 0 |
Chen [22] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Chen [23] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | U | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Cheng [24] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | N | 0 |
Chinese CDC [25] | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N/A | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 5 |
Fan [26] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Grasselli [27] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Han [28] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N/A | N | N/A | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Huang [29] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
ICNARC [30] | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | U | U | U | U | N/A | N | N/A | U | N | N | N | U | Y | 4 |
Liang [31] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N/A | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 0 |
Liu [32] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Liu [33] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | U | U | N | N | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 3 |
Qiu [34] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Ruan [35] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Shi [36] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N | U | U | U | N/A | N | Y | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Simmonet [37] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Tian [38] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Wan [39] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Wang [40] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N/A | N | N/A | Y | N | N | N | U | Y | 0 |
Wang [41] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | U | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Wang [42] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | U | Y | Y | N/A | N | Y | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Wang [43] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | U | N | Y | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Wu [44] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N | U | N | Y | N/A | Y | Y | U | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | 0 |
Wu [45] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | N | U | U | Y | Y | N/A | N | N/A | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 5 |
Yang [46] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | N | N | U | N | Y | N/A | N | N/A | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Yuan [47] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | U | N | N | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Zhang [48] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | U | N | N | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Zhang [49] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | N | 0 |
Zhang [50] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | U | U | N | Y | N/A | N | Y | U | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |
Zhou [51] | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N | U | N | N | N/A | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | U | Y | 0 |