Patients have a right to privacy and anonymity in medical publication

Article Abstract:

The physician-patient relationship must assume that information given to the physician will not be divulged, for otherwise patients will not be completely forthcoming about sensitive information that may be relevant to their treatment. However, information is sometimes passed on, intentionally or accidentally. Another kind of ethical problem occurs when clinical descriptions or photographs are published in textbooks or medical journals. Public and professional attitudes towards this breach of trust have changed, paralleling the growing public demand for information and consent. A survey of 116 medical journals about patients' rights to anonymity in medical publications elicited a 78 percent response rate. Although 41 percent of the editors said informed consent should be mandatory before detailed case reports are published, only 10 percent of the journals have specific rules for protecting patients' privacy. Although almost all of the editors thought informed consent should be obtained before publication of patients' photographs, only half of the journals required consent. The traditional methods of maintaining privacy, such as masking the eyes or deleting clinical details, are often inadequate. A third method, changing fundamental data, such as sex or age, can be considered misrepresentation of facts. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) provided a set of guidelines on patient confidentiality in the May 22, 1991 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Laws, regulations and rules, Privacy, Right of, Right of privacy, Patients, Civil rights, editorial

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Ethics

Article Abstract:

Physicians are realizing that good medical practice has an ethical as well as scientific component. In Nov, 1996, the Council of Europe adopted a convention protecting the rights of patients enrolled in research experiments. The participation of non-Europeans ensures that the convention may be applicable to all multicenter trials. In addition to the rights of research subjects, the convention covers organ donation, genetic testing and research on human embryos. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors expects all authors to disclose their role in the conduct of research.

Analysis, Ethical aspects, Medical ethics

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Perspectives on the Fifth Revision of the Declaration of Helsinki

Article Abstract:

The fifth revision of the Declaration of Helsinki was adopted in October, 2000, and is published in full in the December 20, 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). It was first proposed and adopted in 1964 as a reaction to the reports of human experimentation in Nazi Germany.

Standards, World Medical Association

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