The European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines methodology: a critical evaluation.
OBJECTIVE
Guidelines can be produced and written in numerous ways. The aim of the present article is to describe and evaluate the method currently used to produce the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines.


METHODS
The methodology is described in detail, compared to other urologic guidelines by members of the EAU Guidelines Office Board.


METHODS
The new methodology is evaluated by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument.


CONCLUSIONS
The currently used methodology is adapted to the aims and objectives as established by the EAU for their guidelines; wide coverage (essentially all fields of urology) and useful to urologists all over Europe. The frequent updates are easily accessible in a printed and electronic format. The AGREE instrument supports these strong points, but also identifies potentially weak points, such as no patient involvement, no formal validation of the guidelines texts prior to publication, and lack of discussion of organisational barriers and cost implications.


CONCLUSIONS
The currently used methodology for the production of EAU guidelines fulfils the association's main objectives related to their guidelines, but the texts will benefit from the inclusion of country-specific cost and organisational data. For the practising clinician, these guidelines will help to take science into clinical practice.
Aus
Gunnar
G
Department of Urology, Sahlgrens University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden. gunnar.aus@vgregion.se
Chapple
Christopher
C
Hanûs
Tomas
T
Irani
Jacques
J
Lobel
Bernard
B
Loch
Tillmann
T
Mitropoulos
Dionysios
D
Parsons
Keith
K
Plass
Karin
K
Schmid
Hans-Peter
HP
D022126:Access to Information; D005060:Europe; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D014572:Urology / Q000592:standards*