Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the quality of published Systematic Review and Meta-synthesis of qualitative studies in China. Method: The key terms Meta-synthesis OR qualitative synthesis were used to search published papers in Sinomed, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP from January 2014 to February 2020. Topics, methodology quality based on CERQual, reporting quality based on ENTREQ Statement were analyzed. Results: A total of 48 meta synthesis papers were included. Topics covered a variety of areas in humanistic care. More efforts were needed to emphasize on improving discussion of methodological limitations, relevance, coherence and adequacy of synthesis data. The reporting quality was relatively good. However, specific training programs should be developed to improve awareness of reporting quality, including how to propose adequate PICo, develop searching strategies, analyze the impact of research quality on synthesis results, present synthesis result-category-finding structure, as well as propose suggestions for further studies. Conclusion: Systematic Review and Meta-synthesis of qualitative studies provides rich evidence for health decision making, particularly in nursing areas which focus more on patient-centered care. Systematic training programs should be developed to improve overall quality of Systematic Review and Meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Key words: qualitative research; Systematic Review; Meta-synthesis; methodology quality; reporting quality