This policy applies to Case Reports, Case Series, Clinical Images, Technical Notes and any article containing information or images of individual patients. It meets the requirements of the ICMJE and the DOAJ criteria for journals publishing clinical case reports.

1. Consent for publication

•     Authors must obtain written informed consent for publication from the patient. The consent form must state that the patient has seen (or had explained) the manuscript and images, and understands that the article will be freely available online and cannot be withdrawn once published.

•     If the patient is a child, consent must come from a parent or legal guardian (with the child’s assent where possible). If the patient lacks capacity, consent must come from a legally authorised representative. If the patient has died, consent must come from the next of kin.

•     Consent for treatment, or consent to take part in a research study, is not consent for publication.

•     Authors must retain the signed consent form and provide it to the editorial office on request. 

•     Authors may use their institution’s consent form or the JMPCC consent form; forms in local languages are accepted with an English translation on request.

•     Every article must include a consent statement, e.g., ‘Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images.’

2. When consent cannot be obtained

If the patient (or representative) cannot be traced despite all reasonable efforts, publication may be considered only if the case is of substantial clinical or public health importance, the patient cannot be identified, the institution’s ethics committee approves publication, and the Editor-in-Chief agrees. The article must state why consent could not be obtained. Refusal of consent by the patient or family always prevents publication.

3. De-identification

•     Remove names, initials, hospital or registration numbers, bed numbers, exact dates (use relative time, e.g., ‘postoperative day 3’), locations and occupations unless essential.

•     Images, radiographs, CT and MRI scans, ultrasound clips, ECGs, monitor and ventilator screenshots, and laboratory printouts must have all names, IDs, dates and hospital names removed from both the image and the file metadata.

•     Clinical photographs showing the face, tattoos or other distinctive features require explicit consent for that image. Covering the eyes alone is not sufficient anonymisation.

•     Details must not be changed to disguise the patient if this alters the clinical meaning; any change must be stated.

•     Rare conditions and unusual events carry higher risk of recognition by colleagues and relatives; include only details essential to the learning point.

4. Reporting and editorial standards for case reports

•     Case reports must follow the CARE guideline (SCARE for surgical cases) and include the completed checklist.

•     The title must include ‘case report’ (or ‘case series’).

•     Reports must present something new or instructive: a rare condition or presentation, an unexpected complication or adverse drug reaction, a novel technique or management, or an important diagnostic lesson.

•     Adverse drug reactions should also be reported to the national pharmacovigilance programme (in India, the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India), and the article should state that this was done.

•     Case reports are peer reviewed double-blind using reviewer guidance specific to case reports (see Reviewer Guidelines).

5. Critical incidents and medical errors

Reports describing errors, near misses or critical incidents are welcome when written to support learning and patient safety. They must be de-identified, must not identify the staff involved, should use a systems-based (not blame-based) approach, and must have the necessary institutional permission. Authors should consider any legal proceedings before submission.

6. Participants in research articles

Tables, figures and supplementary data in research articles must not contain identifiable information; small subgroups that could reveal identities should be aggregated.