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EAU Guidelines Office – Disclosure policy

Declaration of potential COI information is important to ensure validity and safeguard scientific integrity so that professionals and the public can have confidence in the EAU guidelines.

The production of clinical guidance is a core activity within the EAU and the association rely on the objectivity of the experts involved in this process.

Experts involved in guidelines activities are not paid for their time and service and no reimbursements are provided, but for flights and accommodation costs linked to meeting attendance. Sponsorship of all guidelines activities is supplied by the EAU. Funding through commercial sources is prohibited. All full text EAU guidelines documents include a statement to this effect. An Industry grant has been received to support dissemination of the ultra-short (pocket) version of the EAU guidelines.

In the current healthcare setting, many expert panel members may have complex relationships with (commercial) third parties. Additionally, non-financial relationships can create a potential COI. Intellectual conflicts of interest, religious beliefs, personal bias, political views, are some examples of such non-financial relationships.
Also, a perceived COI will have the same impact as an actual COI.

The association consider that to exclude all potential experts as guidelines panel members is unattainable, also since the experts recognised for their expertise will likely be involved in clinical trials, and are asked as speakers and consultants. The Board of the EAU Guidelines Office recognise that it is the nature of experts to be potentially conflicted.

The only person who doesn’t have a vested interest in a subject is somebody who knows nothing about it” (quote: Richard Smith ex Editor BMJ).

The Board of the EAU Guidelines Office is overall responsible for the appraisal of all potential COI information submitted by those involved in the production of
EAU Guidelines.

Disclosure is expected:

  • Upon being considered as an Expert panel member of a guidelines working group
  • Conflict of information on file needs to be updated annually
  • Provision/update of potential conflict of information is to coincide with the guidelines approval process and prior to submission to European Urology (scientific paper based on the EAU guidelines)
  • At panel meetings
  • Potential Conflicts of Interest that arise during the production process, need to be disclosed

Assessment of COI information of the panel chairman is the direct responsibility of the Guidelines Office Board, while assessment of the COI information provided by the panel members is the initial responsibility of the panel chair. For this purpose, a list of all Panel Members’ potential COI information will be submitted to the Panel Chair.

Identification of a potential COI does not preclude that an expert serves as an EAU panel member but COI needs to be addressed and managed. Refusal to disclose will be an exclusion criterion.



For all those involved in guidelines production, disclosure information can be viewed:

  • EAU Guidelines Panels
  • Board members EAU Guidelines Office
  • Office Staff

COI resolution
Disclosure of a potential COI does not necessarily preclude participation of a guidelines panel member in EAU guidelines activities. This information should be assessed based on an individual level, as well as across all disclosures of the entire expert panel.

  • A panel chair should have no potential COI (due to his influential role in the panel)
  • Panel members  - a number of options exist in case of potential COI:
    • Certain exceptions can be made in case there is a critical need for a particular expertise which cannot be obtained elsewhere.
    • Limit expert panel member participation; for instance, in case a panel member has a clearly identified potential COI evolving from, for instance, trail participation, he/she will be recused from the discussion of these findings.
    • Recusal from voting or ratifying recommendations linked to a specific product, competing product or any relevant intervention.
    • Exclusion from participation