Systematic review (SR) is of the art of synthesis of evidence from primary studies and has been systematically conducted to provide up-to-date evidence for health care decisions by addressing a single specific research question. Meta-analysis (MA) is a systematic review aiming to produce a single quantitative estimate by combining the findings from individual primary studies using appropriate statistical methods that reduce biases and random errors. SR and MA are powerful tools to precisely estimate diseases burden and health service coverage and quality, to identify relevant associated factors, and to recommend effective and efficient health care interventions. Thus, they are indispensable for the practice of evidence-based medicine and medical decision-making. It has often been claimed that the number of SRs and MA being published has been increased steadily over time at the national, regional, and global levels. In 2014, 28,959 articles were indexed as SRs in MEDLINE, whereas in 2017, 22,774 articles were indexed as SRs or MA. As of December 24, 2021, in PubMed, 167,029 articles were artcile as systematic review and 137,830 records were indexed as meta-analysis. This clearly shows a clear trend of increased publication of SRs and MA over time. In Ethiopia, previous overview study showed that 54 (50.9%) narrative reviews, 17 (16%) systematic reviews, and 35 (33.1%) systematic reviews with meta-analyses were published in 2018. Currently, it is believed more than 450 SRs and MA has been published in preclinical, clinical, and public health fields, which is nearly 10 times the publication rate in 2018. However, there is lack of robust study that systematically characterized and evaluate these SRs and MA. The objective of this project is to conduct an overview of preclinical, clinical and public health systematic reviews and meta-analyses in Ethiopia, synthesize evidence and build database. The results from the project will have immense relevance to improve the quality of SRs and MA, and broad the discovery of science in the Ethiopian context.
