评估精神病学杂志对病例报告知情同意指南的遵守情况。
Evaluating psychiatry journals' adherence to informed consent guidelines for case reports.
作者信息
Tsang Ashley J, Sadler John Z, Brown E Sherwood, Heitman Elizabeth
机构信息
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Program in Ethics in Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
出版信息
Res Integr Peer Rev. 2025 Jul 18;10(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s41073-025-00171-1.
BACKGROUND
Case reports are valuable tools that illustrate and analyze practical scenarios, novel problems, and the effectiveness of interventions. In psychiatry they often explore unique and potentially stigmatizing aspects of mental health, underscoring the importance of confidentiality and informed consent. However, journals' guidance on consent and confidentiality for case reports varies. In 2013, an international expert group developed the CAse REports (CARE) Guidelines for best practices in case reports, which include guidelines for informed consent and de-identification. In 2016, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) issued ethical standards for publishing case reports, calling for written informed consent from featured patients.
METHODS
Using a cross-sectional approach, we assessed the instructions for authors of 253 indexed psychiatry journals, of which 129 had published English-language case reports in the prior five years. Our research identified and evaluated journals' use of COPE and CARE guidelines on informed consent and de-identification in case reports.
RESULTS
Among these 129 journals, 84 (65%) referred to COPE guidelines, and 59 (46%) referenced CARE guidelines. Furthermore, 46 (36%) required informed consent without de-identification, 7 (5%) required only de-identification, and 21 (16%) required both, specifying consent for identifying information. Notably, 40 (31%) lacked informed consent instructions. Of the 82 journals that required informed consent, 69 (85%) required documentation of consent.
CONCLUSION
A decade after the publication of expert guidance, psychiatry journals remain inconsistent in their adherence to ethical guidelines for informed consent in case reports. More attention to clear instructions from journals on informed consent-a notable topic across different fields-would provide an important educational message about both publication ethics and fundamental respect for patients' confidentiality.
背景
病例报告是说明和分析实际情况、新问题及干预措施有效性的宝贵工具。在精神病学领域，它们常常探讨心理健康方面独特且可能带来污名化的问题，凸显了保密和知情同意的重要性。然而，各期刊对于病例报告的同意和保密指导不尽相同。2013年，一个国际专家组制定了病例报告最佳实践的《病例报告（CARE）指南》，其中包括知情同意和去识别化的指南。2016年，出版伦理委员会（COPE）发布了病例报告的伦理标准，要求获得病例主角患者的书面知情同意。
方法
我们采用横断面研究方法，评估了253种索引精神病学期刊对作者的投稿说明，其中129种在过去五年中发表过英文病例报告。我们的研究识别并评估了期刊在病例报告中对COPE和CARE知情同意及去识别化指南的使用情况。
结果
在这129种期刊中，84种（65%）提及了COPE指南，59种（46%）引用了CARE指南。此外，46种（36%）要求在未去识别化的情况下获得知情同意，7种（5%）仅要求去识别化，21种（16%）两者都要求，并明确了对识别信息的同意。值得注意的是，40种（31%）缺乏知情同意说明。在82种要求知情同意的期刊中，69种（85%）要求提供同意的文件记录。
结论
在专家指南发布十年后，精神病学期刊在遵守病例报告知情同意伦理准则方面仍不一致。更多关注期刊关于知情同意的明确说明——这是不同领域的一个显著话题——将传递有关出版伦理和对患者保密基本尊重的重要教育信息。
Zotero 插件