Guidelines

Neuro-urology

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2. METHODS

2.1. Introduction

For the 2024 Neuro-Urology Guidelines, new and relevant evidence has been identified, collated, and appraised through a structured assessment of the literature. A broad and comprehensive literature search, covering all sections of the Neuro-Urology Guidelines was performed. Databases searched included Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Libraries, covering a time frame between the 1st of May 2021 and 1st May 2023. A total of 1,896 unique records were identified, retrieved, and screened for relevance. A detailed search strategy is available online: https://uroweb.org/guidelines/neuro-urology/publications-appendices.

Recommendation within the Guidelines are developed by the panels to prioritise clinically important care decisions. The strength of each recommendation is determined by the balance between desirable and undesirable consequences of alternative management strategies, the quality of the evidence (including certainty of estimates), and the nature and variability of patient values and preferences. This decision process, which can be reviewed in the strength rating forms which accompany each guideline statement, addresses a number of key elements:

  1. the overall quality of the evidence which exists for the recommendation [7];
  2. the magnitude of the effect (individual or combined effects);
  3. the certainty of the results (precision, consistency, heterogeneity and other statistical or study related factors);
  4. the balance between desirable and undesirable outcomes;
  5. the impact and certainty of patient values and preferences on the intervention.

Strong recommendations typically indicate a high degree of evidence quality and / or a favourable balance of benefit to harm and patient preference. Weak recommendations typically indicate availability of lower quality evidence, and/or equivocal balance between benefit and harm, and uncertainty or variability of patient preference [8].

Additional methodology information and a list of associations endorsing the EAU Guidelines can be found in the online: https://uroweb.org/eau-guidelines/methodology-policies.

2.2. Review

Publications ensuing from panel-lead systematic reviews (SR) have all been peer-reviewed. The 2024 Neuro-Urology Guidelines were subject to peer review prior to publication.