ObjectiveTo investigate the extent of overlap between Chinese systematic reviews (SRs) and Cochrane SRs in the field of stroke. MethodsThe CNKI, WanFang Data, CBM and Cochrane Library databases were searched to collect Chinese SRs and Cochrane SRs in the field of stroke published from 2012 to 2022. By extracting population (P), intervention (I), comparison (C), and outcome (O) of all interventional SRs in the stroke field to analyse the extent of overlap of SRs. The basic information and research information of SRs with overlapping PICOs were further extracted to conduct descriptive analysis. ResultsA total of 1 303 SRs were included, involving 1 192 Chinese SRs and 111 Cochrane SRs in the field of stroke. The overlapping analysis found that 128 Chinese SRs overlapped with 29 (26.1%) of the 111 Cochrane SRs. Most (127/128, 99.2%) Chinese SRs were published later than Cochrane SRs. The year of publication of overlapping SRs showed a trend of increasing year by year. ConclusionThe SR work carried out by scholars in China has the problem of overlapping studies that cannot be ignored, and the lack of strict regulation and guidance in methods such as registration, protocol writing, and literature search has resulted in a great waste of resources. It is necessary to further strengthen regulatory constraints and guidance, adhere to problem orientation and quality awareness, strengthen SR training, and reduce overlapping research.
Traditional Chinese medicine has been used for the treatment of many diseases including acute infections often associated with public health emergencies for thousands of years. However, clinical evidence supporting the use of these treatments is insufficient, and the mechanism for using Chinese medicine therapy in the public health setting has not been fully established. In this report, the Evidence-based Traditional and Integrative Chinese medicine Responding to Public Health Emergencies Working Group proposed five recommendations to facilitate the inclusion of Chinese medicine as part of our responses to public health emergencies. It is expected that the Working Group’s proposals may promote the investigation and practice of Chinese Medicine in public health settings.