Access FAQ's
Access the New BPH Guideline

AUA guidelines are the trusted standard for clinical decision making in urology, developed through a rigorous, evidence-based process that includes systematic literature reviews, graded evidence assessment, and expert panel oversight. With the rapid emergence of bots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools capable of scraping and redistributing publicly available content, it has become critical to safeguard our guidelines behind a secure login to ensure their integrity and responsible use.

To support this, access to the new BPH Guideline now requires a login. If you do not have an account, you can create one for free.

Currently, the login requirement is limited to the new BPH guideline (2026). These safeguards will be added to other AUA guidelines over the coming year.

Access to the online, read-only version of the guideline is free for non-commercial use, including clinical, educational, academic, and research use. This free, non-commercial use requires an agreement to abide by the Guidelines Usage Terms & Conditions.

A downloadable PDF version of the guideline is available to AUA members for free. Non-members may request a license to use the PDF version of the guideline for non-commercial use by emailing permissions@AUAnet.org.

Commercial use of AUA guidelines is expressly prohibited without obtaining advance written permission in the form of a license. For more information or to request a license for commercial use, contact Keith Price at kprice@AUAnet.org.

Learn more about commercial and non-commercial uses.

Use of AUA Guidelines with Artificial Intelligence, Generative Artificial Intelligence/Augmented Intelligence, Other Machine Learning Tools, or Third-Party Applications without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

By way of example only, AUA expressly prohibits the use of all or any part of an AUA guideline:

• in training, modifying, and refining artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including and not limited to generative AI (GenAI) applications.
• as input or output by AI technology.
• to generate content for any commercial or non-commercial purpose.
• as input into a third-party application (e.g., study tools, mobile apps).

AUA prohibits the use of all or any part of an AUA guideline to create an app.

Access the complete Guidelines Terms and Conditions of Use.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I have never had to log in to access clinical guidelines before. Why now?
   With the rapid emergence of bots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools capable of scraping and redistributing publicly available content, it has become critical that we safeguard our guidelines behind a secure login to ensure their integrity and responsible use.
2. I am a non-member primary care physician. Do I need to set up an account just to access the BPH guideline?
   Yes. Everyone, both AUA members and non-members, will need to have an account to access the new BPH guideline. If you do not have an account, you can create one for free. Once you are logged in, non-members have read-only access to the full guideline. Over the coming year, additional guidelines will be placed behind a secure login.
3. Will I have to log in to the Guidelines App to access this guideline?
   Yes. You will need to log in to the Guidelines app to access any AUA guideline, including the new BPH guideline. As with other guidelines, the content on the Guideline App is an abbreviated version of the full guideline. To access the full guideline, you will be redirected to AUAnet.org from the mobile app. This will not require you to log in again.
4. I am an AUA member who is teaching a course to residents at my institution and want to reference the new BPH guideline. Do I need to get a license for that?
   No. This example would fall under non-commercial use, in which case you are free to cite AUA guidelines for instructional purposes at any level (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, professional development), in any setting, in any form or format, to any number of learners. You must provide the appropriate reference for the citation, which can be found at the top of the guidelines. If you are not a member, you will need to obtain a license to print and distribute the PDF. Email permissions@AUAnet.org to obtain a license for use.
5. I teach at an academic medical center/university. Can I incorporate the guideline into my teaching materials, and can my students use the guidelines to support their studies?
   Yes, however, per a scientific journal article, a fee-based license for this purpose is required. However, if you develop course materials for an independent medical education organization, then this is considered commercial use, and you or the independent medical education organization will need to contact kprice@AUAnet.org for licensing information.
6. I have been hired by a medical education company to teach a course on BPH, and I would like to incorporate material taken directly from the new BPH guideline. Do I need to obtain a license or pay to do that?
   It depends. If you wish to cite the guideline, then academic rules for referencing these citations must be followed – see No. 4 above. If you wish to reproduce any of the contents (diagrams, flowcharts, etc.) then this would fall under commercial use, which will require a license agreement and may also require a fee. For more information about the commercial licensing of AUA guidelines, contact Keith Price at kprice@AUAnet.org.
7. I am a member and want to add the guideline to my personal ChatGPT account to help me in the treatment of my patients. Is this permitted?
   No. The AUA does not allow you to input any AUA content, including clinical guidelines, into generative artificial/augmented intelligence or any other machine learning tools, at any time for any purpose whatsoever.
8. I am a patient. I created a login, but I still can’t access the BPH clinical guideline. How do I access?
   AUA clinical guidelines are developed for use by clinical professionals and are not intended for the public. Please visit UrologyHealth.org for patient resources that have been adapted from the guideline. For more information on the diagnosis and treatment of BPH or any other urologic condition, please consult a urologist.
9. I wish to use the BPH guideline for research purposes, and the research is funded either in part or completely by industry. Do I need a license to cite or use the guideline?
   These requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis depending on the use case scenario. For more information, contact Keith Price at kprice@AUAnet.org.

Non-Commercial vs. Commercial Uses of the AUA Guidelines

Non-Commercial, Including Education, Academic, and Research Uses

AUA Members: Online read-only access to the full guidelines is free, subject to login and an agreement to abide by the AUA Guidelines Terms and Conditions for Use. A downloadable PDF is made available free to members from the BPH guideline landing page.

Non-Members: Online read-only access to the full guidelines is free, subject to login and an agreement to abide by the AUA Guidelines Terms and Conditions for Use.

Email permissions@AUAnet.org with questions about non-commercial licensing and use.

Examples:

Non-Commercial Clinical Use

• Use by a single individual to inform medical practice and decision making or for on-the-job clinician training.
• Use by a single individual to provide a patient with verbal information.
• Use by a single individual or group of clinical researchers to facilitate participation in Clinical Trials – e.g., NMIBC risk stratification system.

Non-Commercial Education and Academic Uses

• Referencing the guidelines for instructional purposes at any level (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, professional development), in any setting, in any form or format, to a limited number of learners with attribution to the AUA.
• Use by one or more individuals to inform, conduct, interpret, or convey research that is not funded by industry or an academic institution.

Non-Commercial Research Use

• Use by one or more individuals on behalf of an academic medical center to conduct internal research or testing for learning purposes only.

Commercial Use, including Education, Academic, and Research Uses

Members and Non-Members: Access to and commercial use of AUA Guidelines, regardless of read-only or downloadable access, will require a license agreement and may also require a fee for use. For more information, contact Keith Price at kprice@AUAnet.org.

• A commercial use is using any AUA guideline in exchange for or in connection with any activity that creates a benefit of value (financial or non-financial) for the user or any third party.
• By way of example, commercial "use" includes selling, marketing, making a derivative, importing/exporting, distributing, displaying, performing, sharing, copying, promoting, advertising, licensing, sublicensing, or otherwise making a guideline available.
• As it relates to commercial use of a guideline, "guideline" means all or any part of a clinical guideline or clinical consensus statement ("CCS") (together "guideline") that was developed, in whole or in part, by or on behalf of the American Urological Association or any of its affiliated organizations (together "the AUA"), or to which the AUA holds any copyright interest, and any and all parts thereof, including without limitation tables, figures, graphs, full or partial text, summaries, and any and all materials used or created for use in the development of the guideline.
• A use is "commercial" if it is done in exchange for anything of value (financial or non-financial) or is done in connection with any activity that does or is reasonably expected to result in any personal, professional, individual, or other benefit of value, directly or indirectly.
• A "benefit of value" includes financial and non-financial gain. Examples of a benefit of value with non-financial gain include goods, services, discounts, credits, rebates, waived fees, bartering or trading goods or services, cross-promotion, information or access exchange, equity (shares, options, rights of first refusal, or similar rights), access to data, leads or referrals, brand exposure, naming rights, co-branding, promotional placement, acquisition of good will, or similar benefits that has value, reduces cost, increases revenue, or provides a competitive advantage.