informed consent for case report patient not found

by Mr. Nelson Cassin III 3 min read

Informed Consent for Case Reports - PMC

18 hours ago A new international standard of editorial policy calls for written informed consent by the subject of every case report. Although this appears to be ethically appealing, the authors posit that in some situations, requesting informed consent may be unethical, can harm patients, and may erode the use of case reports as a valuable teaching method in psychiatry and psychotherapy. >> Go To The Portal


To publish without seeking patient consent is deception on the part of the therapist and undermines the therapeutic relationship whether the patient discovers it or not. Legal precedent is clear, and authors are liable if they publish information about patients without consent.

Full Answer

How to write an informed consent document?

How to Write. Step 1 – Download in Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word (.docx), or Open Document Text (.odt). Step 2 – The title of the research study being conducted must be included at the top of the consent form. Step 3 – Enter the following information related to the primary researcher in the fields provided: Step 4 – The purpose of the study ...

How to obtain meaningful informed consent?

Obtaining Meaningful Informed Consent Federal regulations require that researchers only seek consent under conditions which allow the potential subject the opportunity to fully consider whether they would like to participate in the study.

Is patient consent needed for case report?

Patient consent and confidentiality. When publishing personal information about identifiable living patients, we require a signed copy of our patient consent permission form. This form is available as a pdf and in multiple languages. Authors should seek the patient's consent to publication before submitting any article.

What to know about informed consent?

The elements of informed consent include:

  • An explanation of the trial’s purpose, clinical procedures to be followed, how long you will participate, and the investigational treatments or procedures
  • An explanation of foreseeable risks and side effects you may experience
  • A description of benefits you may get from the treatments you receive

More items...

image

Is informed consent required for case report?

Although not technically required, especially if the case report does not include any identifying information, some journals require informed consent for all case reports before publishing. The CARE guidelines recommend obtaining informed consent AND the patient's perspective on the treatment/outcome (if possible).

What happens if informed consent is not obtained?

In both medical and legal terminology, this is called "informed consent." If a doctor does not get informed consent from a patient, and the patient is injured, the patient may have grounds to sue the doctor for medical malpractice.

How do you consent a patient to a case report?

For a patient's consent to publication of information about them in a journal or thesisThe Information will be published without my name/child's name/relatives name attached and every attempt will be made to ensure anonymity. ... The Information may be published in a journal which is read worldwide or an online journal.More items...

Which of the following are the 4 requirements of informed consent?

There are 4 components of informed consent including decision capacity, documentation of consent, disclosure, and competency.

What are the legal ramifications of an informed consent is not obtained before a procedure or treatment?

If a doctor fails to obtain informed consent for non-emergency treatment, he or she may be charged with a civil offense like gross negligence and/or a criminal offense such as battery or gross negligence which is the unauthorized touching of the plaintiff's person.

What is a breach of informed consent?

Law may not recognise informed consent if: The patient has been coerced into giving their consent or was provided misleading information about the treatment and outcomes. The consent wasn't specific, and there is no evidence of written documents specifying the treatment or procedure that the patient consented to.

Do case reports require ethical approval?

Case reports and studies intended for quality improvement are often considered not research and do not need IRB approval. Nevertheless, there should be some processes of clearing those studies with respect to ethical handling of patients and related data.

How do you write an informed consent letter?

The informed consent document should succinctly describe the research as it has been presented in the IRB application. Use the second (you) or third person (he/she) to present the study details. Avoid use of the first person (I). Include a statement of agreement at the conclusion of the informed consent document.

Do case reports need IRB approval?

Under HIPAA, a case report is an activity to develop information to be shared for medical/educational purposes. Although the use of protected health information to prepare the paper does not require IRB review, the author of a case report must comply with HIPAA.

What are the two exceptions to informed consent?

Several exceptions to the requirement for informed consent include (1) the patient is incapacitated, (2) life-threatening emergencies with inadequate time to obtain consent, and (3) voluntary waived consent.

What type of situation would not meet the informed consent requirements?

What type of situation would NOT meet the informed consent requirements? The patient signs a treatment consent form. If a licensed healthcare professional oversteps his or her scope of practice.

When should informed consent be obtained?

Informed consent should be obtained after the participant has been presented with pertinent information, has had adequate time to review the consent document and have all questions answered. Consent should also be obtained prior to any study specific procedures.

What is informed consent to publish?

Informed consent to publish means that the patient must enter into the agreement to publish voluntarily and with a full understanding of the implications for the subject; a copy of the proposed manuscript should be shared with the patient before it is published.

Why is it important to give consent for a treatment report?

It is important for the author to be certain that the patient had consented to publication and not just treatment.

What are the two key aspects of patient privacy?

Patient privacy and consent are subject to guidance such as the CARE guidelines and COPE, which cover two key aspects: informed consent and removal of patient identifiers from manuscripts as well as clinical images, figures and datasets.

Why are case reports important?

This becomes even more serious when we consider medical case reports, which describe clinical observations for a single patient (or a small group of similar patients). Such studies can provide a timely way of advancing scientific knowledge of rare medical conditions and complications, inform clinical study design, and support pharmacovigilance decisions. Professor Margaret Rees, Editor in Chief of Case Reports in Women’s Health, commented “Patients consenting to publication are providing the gift of their unique experience to science.” However, by their very nature they report on individuals, often tying photographs together with additional identifiable clinical information, and they therefore present challenges around privacy and consent.

Why is it important for authors to protect the privacy of patients?

In these situations, authors, editors and publishers share a collective responsibility to safeguard the privacy of patients to ensure they can continue to trust their practitioners, and so readers can trust the research is presented ethically and consensually.

When is consent valid?

If the patient has diminished mental capacity or a fluctuating/deteriorating condition: If the patient consented, it is valid only if and when they had the capacity to do so. In changing conditions, the patient might be able to give consent during a remission or in the early stages of the disease, but it is uncertain whether they would have done so at a later stage. The reason for a legal representative signing a consent form should be detailed in the submission.

Do authors need to provide consent to patients?

Authors must obtain appropriate consents and permissions from a patient or their legal representative in order to include case details or other personal information or images of the patient in their article, and must include a statement on their paper confirming that informed consent was obtained. However, authors should not provide copies of consent forms, and nor should the editor or publisher request them because of the additional security levels required to receive and store consent forms, which are considered sensitive.

What does it mean when a doctor says no informed consent?

A failure to get signed consent may be proof that there was no informed consent, even if the doctor says that the patient gave verbal consent. Each state has its own laws about what constitutes informed consent, so malpractice cases can vary a lot depending on location.

When informed consent is not required, is it necessary?

When Informed Consent is Not Required. There are cases in which consent does not have to be given before a patient receives medical care, and in these cases it may not be possible to prove negligence because of lack of informed consent. Exemptions include emergencies, situations that are clear and that will not hold up well when a patient claims ...

What is Informed Consent?

Informed consent is an important step in any type of medical care. It means that the patient is given information about care and consents to receive that care. Simple informed consent happens all the time. When a patient takes and uses a prescription from a doctor, sees a recommended specialist, or allows a blood or urine test to be conducted, he or she is consenting after the doctor makes a simple explanation for why it is being done. This is the kind of consent used for basic types of care that are low-risk.

What is the process of giving informed consent?

For any type of medical care that comes with significant risks, the informed consent that must be given is more complex. There is a process that physicians are supposed to go through to make sure the patient can actually give reliable informed consent: Providing adequate information about benefits and risks.

Why is informed consent important?

Informed consent is important for patient safety because, when done correctly, it means a patient or the person caring for the patient has all the information necessary to make the right decision about a procedure, treatment, or diagnostic test. When a patient does not have all the information, specifically about risks, ...

What happens if a patient does not have all the information?

When a patient does not have all the information, specifically about risks, they may end up undergoing a treatment that causes harm and that they would not have consented to if they had all the information. Medical malpractice suits sometimes cite a lack of informed consent as a breach of duty on the part of a physician and a reason for negligence.

Why was the woman not given full informed consent?

The woman alleged that she was not given full informed consent because she was not aware of the risk of a uterine rupture with vaginal delivery after a previous cesarean. The case was settled in the plaintiff’s favor.

How to avoid failure to obtain informed consent?

To avoid an allegation of failure to obtain informed consent, physicians should educate patients about known complications and alternative forms of treatment, document these efforts, and obtain a signed informed consent. This case demonstrated a failure of the physician to follow protocols to ensure that appropriate consent was obtained. While forms and checklists were in place to facilitate this process, they were not properly employed.

What is conflicting preformatted information?

Conflicting pre-formatted information was noted throughout the patient’s record. The pre-surgical packet reflected that consent was not obtained for the procedure, contradicting a preprinted order that stated the consent was signed and on the front on the chart.

What was included in the surgical checklist for circumcision?

Documentation of the circumcision included items to check, “patient ID” and “consent,” which were apparently marked with an “x” by ...

What was the document for circumcision?

Documentation of the circumcision included items to check, “patient ID” and “consent,” which were apparently marked with an “x” by the pediatrician. The pediatrician documented that the circumcision was completed without complication.

What was the mother's complaint against the pediatrician?

The mother explained that it was part of their family’s strict wishes that the patient not be circumcised. The physician apologized for the error and did not charge for his pediatric services. Allegations. A was lawsuit filed against the pediatrician, alleging negligence in performing a procedure without consent.

Was the checklist on the circumcision record used?

In this case, it appeared the checklist on the circumcision record was not used; but it was marked that the patient’s identity and consent had been confirmed and obtained.

Did the mother want her son circumcised?

However, he found a note that the mother did not want her son circumcised. The pediatrician concluded that he was looking at the wrong chart before and during the circumcision. The pediatrician went to the mother’s room to explain that the child had been mistakenly circumcised.

What is a case report?

Case reports are typically used to share new unique information experienced by one patient during his/her clinical care that may be useful for other physicians and members of a health care team. A case report may be published (in print and/or via internet dissemination) for others to read, and/or presented at a conference. This form explains the purpose of this case report. Please read this form carefully and take your time to make your decision and ask any questions that you may have.

What is the purpose of this case report?

The purpose of this case report is to inform other physicians that (insert specific reason i.e. patients presenting to the ER with X) may be related to Y , however, was masked by a common over the counter medication Z).

Can a case report be published?

A case report may be published ( in print and/or via internet dissemination) for others to read, and/or presented at a conference. This form explains the purpose of this case report. Please read this form carefully and take your time to make your decision and ask any questions that you may have.

Can you receive compensation for allowing your information to be used in this case report?

Allowing your information to be used in this case report will not involve any additional costs to you. You will not receive any compensation.

Does a doctor have to disclose your name?

Dr. (insert name) is obligated to protect your privacy and not disclose your personal information (information about you and your health that identifies you as an individual e.g. name, date of birth, medical record number). When the case report is published or presented, your identity will not be disclosed.

Is a case report confidential?

Although your personal information collected or obtained will be kept confidential and protected to the fullest extent of the law, there is a limited risk associated with this case report that could result in a loss of confidentiality by virtue of your unique experience. You will not directly benefit from participating in this case report. The information that can be shared with other health care professionals, however, may improve the care that is received by others in the future.

What is a consent, permission, or release?

For the purposes of publishing in The Lancet journals, a consent, permission, or release should include, without limitation, publication in all formats (including print, electronic, and websites), in sublicensed and reprinted versions (including translations), and in other works and products.

How to improve the chances of a manuscript being accepted?

Improve the chances of your manuscript’s acceptance by learning how to prepare a manuscript for journal submission and handle the peer review process. Subscribe and get curated content that will give impetus to your research paper.

Do we provide sample consent forms?

Since the consent form needs to comply with the relevant legal requirements of your particular jurisdiction, we do not provide sample forms; this is your responsibility. Your affiliated institution should be able to provide an appropriate form.

Do you send signed forms to the Lancet?

To respect your patient’s and any other individual’s privacy, please do not send signed forms to The Lancet. Please instead complete the patient consent section of the Author statements while retaining copies of the signed forms in the event they should be needed.

image

What Is Informed consent?

When Informed Consent Is Not Required

Failure to Get Informed Consent and Negligence

  • If a paper was published without appropriate consent and it cannot be obtained retroactively, this is an extremely serious matter and the paper may need to be retracted or withdrawn/removed depending on the sensitivity of the content and publication stage. Even where a case report is retracted for reasons unrelated to consent, it would still be goo...
See more on elsevier.com

Consequences of Lack of Informed Consent

Examples of Informed Consent Cases

  • There are cases in which consent does not have to be given before a patient receives medical care, and in these cases it may not be possible to prove negligence because of lack of informed consent. Exemptions include emergencies, situations that are clear and that will not hold up well when a patient claims they did not give informed consent and ar...
See more on standardsofcare.org