ObjectiveTo systematically review the safety and efficacy of operative versus non-operative treatment for displaced midshaft clavicle fractures.MethodsDatabases including PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMbase, MEDLINE(Ovid), CBM, CNKI and WanFang Data were searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies about operation versus non-operation for displaced midshaft clavicle fractures from inception to June 3rd, 2017. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.2 software.ResultsA total of 14 RCTs and 5 prospective cohort studies involving 1 543 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that operation was superior to non-operation in the Constant score (SMD=0.76, 95%CI 0.40 to 1.13, P<0.000 1), DASH score (SMD=–0.49, 95%CI –0.91 to 0.06,P=0.02), nonunion rate (RR=0.17, 95%CI 0.10 to 0.30, P<0.000 01), malunion (RR=0.20, 95%CI 0.12 to 0.33,P<0.000 01) and patients’ satisfaction rate (RR=1.39, 95%CI 1.13to 1.71,P=0.002), respectively.ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that operation could improve the function of the upper limbs, reduce nonunion and malunion, and improve the satisfaction of the patients with midshaft clavicle fractures. Due to the limited quality of the included studies, more large-scale, high-quality studies are required to verify the above conclusion.