Communication and diffusion of the 2022 French Urolithiasis Guidelines (CLAFU): Lessons from a national audit

The French 2022 Urolithiasis (CLAFU) Guidelineswere recently released. We aimed to evaluate the impact and diffusion of these CLAFU guidelines among the French urologists.

French certified and in-training urologists were invited to participate in an online survey between April and May 2024, including 18 questions assessing demographics, practice trends, awareness of the new guidelines, their dissemination and impact on daily practice. After being reviewed by an expert panel, the survey circulated through social media/mail. Statistics included a descriptive analysis and subgroup analyses (private practice [PP] vs public/academic hospital-based [PAH] practice, certified urologists vs in-training).

Two hundred and twenty-eight urologists participated in the survey, 86% of whom were aware of the 2022 CLAFU guidelines. Eighty-three percent were certified urologists, with 54% and 46% of them working in PP and PAH, respectively. Urinary stones' management represented 11-30% of the daily practice for 55% of participants, and 31-50% for 25% of them. Seventy-four percent and 19% declared to use CLAFU and EAU guidelines daily, respectively. Participants preferred the summary over the full version (51% vs 31%). Guidelines' median impact on practice was 6/10 (4-8). Participants suggested new communication modalities: podcasts (55%) and/or educational videos (53%). PP and PAH presented similar needs for new communication modalities (51% vs 56%) and guidelines' impacts on practice (6/10 vs 7/10), but PAH preferred the full version (35% vs 26%), while PP preferred the summary (42% vs 59%, P=0.04). Certified and in-training urologists presented similar needs for new communication modalities (67% vs 50%), and guidelines' impact (7/10 vs 6/10), but in-training urologists preferred guidelines' full version.

This survey demonstrastes an overall interest for the 2022 CLAFU guidelines among French urologists. More interactive dissemination formats (audio or video) should be used for updates and diffusion.