title: The European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines methodology: a critical evaluation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Sahlgrens University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden. gunnar.aus@vgregion.se
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aus
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chapple
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanûs
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Irani
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lobel
authors.forename: Tillmann
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Loch
authors.forename: Dionysios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mitropoulos
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Plass
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Schmid
mesh_terms: 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*