Purpose
Patients trust clinicians with private information. Publishing a description of a patient in a journal is a new use of that information, and needs the patient’s permission. This policy protects patients and explains what authors must do. It is based on ICMJE principles, adapted for clinical practice in Liberia and West Africa, where small communities, limited literacy and language diversity make privacy and consent especially important.
Scope
It applies to any manuscript (case reports, case series, images, videos, audio, clinical research, letters, education articles) that includes personal medical information about a person who could be identified, by themselves or by others.
Core rules
- Written consent to publish is required for any identifiable information about a living patient, including text descriptions, photographs, videos, scans, pedigrees, voice or case details that could allow recognition.
- Remove identifiers whenever possible. Names, initials, hospital or record numbers, addresses, exact dates, and occupation or place details that could identify someone in a small community should be removed or generalised unless essential. Changing data is not acceptable; omitting or generalising detail is.
- Faces and unique features. Cropping or masking may not be enough. Eye bars are not sufficient anonymisation. If any person is identifiable, consent is needed.
- Offer the patient the manuscript to read before submission, and ensure the patient understands that the article will be freely available online worldwide (LMDAJ is open access), may be translated and shared, cannot be withdrawn after publication, and may be seen by their family, employers and community.
- Consent is voluntary. Refusal does not affect care. Do not ask patients while they are in distress or dependent on you in ways that pressure them.
Who gives consent
| Situation | Who consents |
|---|---|
| Adult with capacity | The patient |
| Child | Parent or legal guardian (and the child’s assent where appropriate) |
| Adult without capacity | Legal representative or next of kin, in the patient’s best interests |
| Deceased patient | Next of kin or legal representative; if not possible, the editor will consider whether the information is sufficiently anonymised and whether publication would cause harm. |
| Patient cannot be traced | Publication only if information is anonymised so that neither the patient nor anyone else could identify them; the editors and reviewers may see detail not published and a note may be added. |
Form and language of consent
- Use the LMDAJ Patient Consent to Publish form (English and French) A form in another language, such as a Liberian language, or an oral consent with a witness is allowed if the patient cannot read, if properly documented.
- The form must be in a language the patient understands.
- Authors keep the signed form safely and send a copy to the editorial office confidentially. It is not published. The journal may keep forms for an appropriate retention period.
- The form must state what the patient has seen. If the patient has not seen the final manuscript, the form must say so and the editor will consider.
- Consent must be specific to the publication, and is not replaced by general consent to treatment or by consent for teaching.
Consent for research participants
Consent to take part in research is separate from consent to publish identifiable information. Research articles must state ethics approval and the type of informed consent obtained (see Publication Ethics Policy). If a study reports individual participant details, consent to publish is also needed unless the data are fully anonymised.
Group and community considerations
- Where publication could identify a family or community, even without naming individuals, consider consent of those affected, or community engagement.
- Photographs of a community or of public events may raise privacy issues.
- Information about stigmatised conditions (such as HIV, mental illness, sexual and reproductive health, or violence) needs extra caution, and the editors may ask for further anonymisation.
Editors’ role
- Editors check that consent is declared in the manuscript (for example, “Written informed consent for publication was obtained from the patient”) before accepting.
- The editorial office keeps signed forms confidential and secure.
- Editors may reject or withhold a paper if consent or anonymity is inadequate, and may remove identifiable content after publication on request (see Corrections Policy).
- Reviewers must treat patient information as confidential and tell the editor of any concern.
If a patient withdraws consent
Withdrawal is possible only before publication. After publication the journal can remove identifiable images or details from future online versions where possible and issue a correction, but cannot recall copies already circulated.
Data protection
LMDAJ holds consent forms only for editorial and legal purposes and protects them securely.
Contact
Questions: the Contact the Editorial Office page.
Appendix A: Patient Consent to Publish (outline for the form)
Title of article: …
Information to be published: (describe text, photographs, video etc.)
I [name / parent or guardian / representative] understand that:
- The information will be published in the Liberia Medical & Dental Association Journal, online and possibly in print, and may be seen by anyone worldwide, free of charge.
- I may not be identified, but cannot be sure that no one will recognise me, and the journal cannot guarantee anonymity.
- The article may be translated, reused under an open-access licence, stored in archives, and cannot be fully withdrawn after publication.
- I can refuse or withdraw consent before publication, without effect on my care.
- I have seen [the article / the following description]. ☐ I have not seen the final article, but I understand what will be published.
Signature · Printed name · Relationship (if representative) · Date · Witness (if oral consent).
Appendix B: Statement for the manuscript
“Written informed consent for publication of [clinical details/images] was obtained from the patient [or parent/guardian]. A copy is held by the authors and available to the editor.”
Appendix C: Authors’ checklist
☐ Identifiers removed ☐ Consent form signed and held ☐ Patient saw the manuscript ☐ Consent statement in the manuscript ☐ Images checked for recognisable features ☐ Extra care for sensitive conditions ☐ Ethics approval for research (if relevant)