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Clinical Image Consent Requirements: Variability among Top Ten Medical Journals

Journal of Academic Ethics volume 17, pages 423–427 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

The consent process for publication of clinical images in medical journals varies widely. The extent of this variation is not known. It is also not known whether journals follow their own stated best practices or the guidance of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). We assessed consent requirements in a sample of 10 top impact factor general medicine journals that publish clinical images, examining variability in consent requirements for clinical image publication and congruence of requirements with the recommendations of the ICMJE. Clinical image consent requirements varied widely from journal to journal. None of the studied journals, even amongst n = 4 ICMJE members or n = 8 journals who self-report adherence to ICMJE guidelines, comply with all of the recommendations of the ICMJE. Half of studied journals require a journal-specific consent form. Among top medical journals there is significant heterogeneity in consent requirements for clinical images. Variability of consent requirements is neither practical nor rational; inconsistent requirements create uncertainty for authors, present impediments to dissemination of scholarship, and undermine a shared professional understanding of how best to protect patient privacy. We propose adopting a standardized consent form and process for publication of identifiable images in medical journals, with uniform elements and explicit definitions.

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References

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to especially thank and acknowledge Susan Hurwitz for editorial assistance.

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Author notes

  1. Juan N. Lessing and Nicholas M. Mark contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hospital Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Juan N. Lessing & Ethan Cumbler

  2. Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    Nicholas M. Mark

  3. KenSci, Inc., Seattle, WA, USA

    Nicholas M. Mark

  4. University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and Humanities, Aurora, CO, USA

    Matthew K. Wynia

  5. Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Matthew K. Wynia

Authors
  1. Juan N. Lessing
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  2. Nicholas M. Mark
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  3. Matthew K. Wynia
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  4. Ethan Cumbler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juan N. Lessing.

Ethics declarations

Portions of this material were presented in poster form at the Society of General Internal Medicine Mountain West regional meeting and the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting, both in 2017.

Ethical Approval

This study did not have human subjects and therefore did not require IRB approval.

Conflict of Interest

Dr. Mark is a paid consultant to KenSci. Inc., and the founder and CEO of Sound Life Sciences, Inc. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Lessing, J.N., Mark, N.M., Wynia, M.K. et al. Clinical Image Consent Requirements: Variability among Top Ten Medical Journals. J Acad Ethics 17, 423–427 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-019-09331-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-019-09331-7

Keywords

  • Informed consent
  • Consent requirements
  • Clinical image
  • Variability
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)