What’s New in EULAR’s 2026 SOPs: How Rheumatology Guidelines Will Be Built from Now On

Introduction and Context

Clinical practice recommendations and points-to-consider (PtCs) are central tools that translate research into everyday decisions for people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) has long published guidance used worldwide by rheumatologists, allied health professionals, patients and policy makers. In 2026 EULAR released an updated standardised operating procedure (SOP) describing how recommendations and PtCs for diagnosis and management of RMDs should be developed, reported and updated [1].

Why does this matter now? Rapid growth in therapeutic options (biologics, small molecules), greater patient expectations for involvement in guideline development, increasing emphasis on transparency and methodological rigor, and the need for cost-conscious and implementable advice have together driven an update. The 2026 SOP codifies modern guideline best practice for EULAR projects: it is intended to ensure recommendations remain scientifically rigorous, feasible in clinical care, responsive to patient values and resource realities, and easier to implement across diverse health systems.