Practical recommendations for the process of proposing, planning and writing a neurological management guideline by EAN task forces

Eur J Neurol. 2015 Dec;22(12):1505-10. doi: 10.1111/ene.12818. Epub 2015 Aug 12.

Abstract

The European Academy of Neurology (EAN), founded in 2014 after the merging of the two previously active European Neurological Societies, considers the production of neurological guidelines a major obligation, as this is a major tool to improve clinical practice in neurology. This paper updates practical suggestions to develop guidelines about the treatment and diagnosis of neurological diseases within the framework of the EAN. Its aim is to make uniform, traceable and explicit the path from the decision to write an EAN guideline to its publication. We explain the protocol structure, handling of conflicts of interest, format, timeline and process of revision and acceptance. It provides the view of the Scientific Committee and the Board of the EAN. We hope to make easier a larger involvement of the EAN scientific community in producing guidelines.

Keywords: GRADE; clinical practice guideline; conflict of interests; grading evidence; neurological diseases; neurological societies; recommendations.

MeSH terms

  • Europe
  • Humans
  • Nervous System Diseases / therapy*
  • Neurology / standards*
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic / standards*
  • Societies, Medical / standards*