Journal is right to require patients' consent to publication

BMJ 1996;313:1007 (19 October)

Letters

Journal is right to require patients' consent to publication

EDITOR,--In his commentary on Keith Andrews and colleagues'paper on misdiagnosis of the vegetative state Richard Smithdiscusses the BMJ's decision to obtain consent from all patientsdescribed in case reports.¹ I endorse this decision. In 1972the Lancet published details of two patients with the rare conditionmyositis ossificans progressiva.² One of the patients happenedto be a family friend, and I could easily identify her in thearticle, thereby obtaining personal information of which I waspreviously unaware.

I am sure that there was nothing in this case that my friendwould not have wished me to know. Nevertheless, there is clearlya risk of a serious breach of confidentiality if consent isnot obtained, even when obvious identifying information hasbeen removed.

ROGER LLOYD-MOSTYN Consultant physician

King's Mill Centre, Sutton in Ashfield NG17 4JL

Roger Lloyd-Mostyn

Andrews K, Murphy L, Munday R, Littlewood C. Misdiagnosis of the vegetative . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Misdiagnosis of the vegetative state: retrospective study in a rehabilitation unit: Keith Andrews, Lesley Murphy, Ros Munday, and Clare Littlewood
BMJ 1996 313: 13-16. [Abstract] [Full Text]