Patient and family consent for publication: A bibliographic and ethical analysis of recent case reports from a single institution

The objective of this study was to identify compliance with journal policies on documenting consent to publish case studies and to discuss the ethical framework specific to the creation and publication of case studies. Textual analysis of case studies published between 2019 and 2024 at a single institution and evaluation of their compliance with journal policies and emerging ethical standards. 229 case reports were published between 2019 and 2024 in 107 journals. The majority of articles remain uncited at this time and were published in low-impact journals. Almost 20% of articles evaluated did not comply with journal policies on documenting consent, and, in an additional 30%, it was not possible to document compliance because journal policies did not require documentation within the manuscript. Journal policies on documentation of consent to publish, where they exist, are inconsistently applied at every stage of case study production and publication. This may reflect a broader lack of understanding of the ethical context of case studies and their increasing risk to patient privacy.