Guidelines on chronic pelvic pain
Chronic Pelvic Pain - European Association of Urology (EAU)
This guideline plays an important role in the process of consolidation and improvement of care for patients with pelvic pain and associated lower abdominal pain. From both literature and daily practice it has become clear that lower abdominal and pelvic pain are areas still under development. This guideline has been recognised as a cornerstone for important developments that have taken place in the past years.
This guideline aims to expand the awareness of caregivers in the field of abdominal and pelvic pain and to assist those who treat patients with abdominal and pelvic pain in their daily practice. The guideline is a useful instrument not only for urologists, but also for gynaecologists, surgeons, physiotherapists, psychologists and pain doctors.
It must be emphasised that guidelines present the best evidence available to the experts. However, following guideline recommendations will not necessarily result in the best outcome. Guidelines can never replace clinical expertise when making treatment decisions for individual patients, but rather help to focus decisions whilist taking personal values and preferences/individual circumstances of patients into account through shared decision-making. Guidelines are not mandates and do not purport to be a legal standard of care.
Structure and scope
The panel wishes to take advantage of modern methods of delivering guideline information to clinicians dealing with these patients. In 2016, a stepped information structure was made, in alignment with stepped care protocols, using new digital information sources like websites and apps to aid this process. Furthermore, the guideline was changed according to the template used in all other non-oncology guidelines of the EAU. It was recognised that structuring a guideline on chronic pain is quite different from structuring one on another subject. A multi-disciplinary approach is of utmost importance and demands a broad view. In 2016, the guideline was rewritten to be centred around pain instead of being organ-centred. It is partly theoretical to show the importance of using this pain-centred approach. The biggest part, however, deals with the practical approach to diagnostics, treatment and management of patients with abdominal and pelvic pain.