The Netherlands Journal of Critical Care (Neth. J. Crit. Care) is committed to protecting the privacy, dignity, autonomy, and confidentiality of individuals whose personal information, clinical data, images, or other identifiable material is included in research or submitted for publication.

The journal follows relevant principles of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding informed consent, privacy, and the protection of research participants.

1. General Principle

The data and information of individuals, including information obtained through a doctor-patient relationship, must be handled with the highest levels of confidentiality, discretion, and professional responsibility.

Authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must not disclose confidential personal or clinical information except where legitimately required for research, publication, ethical review, or legal purposes.

2. Informed Consent for Research

Authors must obtain appropriate informed consent from research participants where required by applicable ethical standards, institutional requirements, or law.

Participants should be adequately informed about the nature, purpose, procedures, potential risks and benefits, and intended use of their information before providing consent.

3. Consent for Publication

Written informed consent for publication should be obtained where a manuscript contains information that could reasonably identify an individual.

This may include:

• Case reports
• Clinical photographs
• Medical images
• Videos
• Detailed clinical histories
• Genetic or genomic information
• Identifiable laboratory or diagnostic information
• Other potentially identifiable patient information

Consent should specifically cover publication in a journal and, where applicable, online dissemination.

4. Protection of Patient Confidentiality

Authors must remove unnecessary identifying information from manuscripts.

Names, initials, hospital or medical record numbers, exact dates of birth, addresses, photographs, or other identifying information should not be included unless scientifically necessary and appropriate consent has been obtained.

Authors should not assume that removing a patient's name alone is sufficient to ensure anonymity. The combination of clinical details, dates, locations, images, or other information may make an individual identifiable.

5. Doctor-Patient Confidentiality

Information obtained through a doctor-patient relationship is confidential and must be treated with particular care.

Authors must ensure that clinical information submitted for publication does not unnecessarily disclose the identity or private circumstances of patients.

The existence of a patient's medical condition, treatment, diagnosis, or relationship with a healthcare professional should not be disclosed beyond what is necessary for legitimate scientific or educational purposes.

6. Vulnerable Individuals

Where research or publication involves children, individuals lacking decision-making capacity, or other vulnerable persons, consent should be obtained from an appropriately authorized representative where required.

Where participants regain decision-making capacity, consent for continued participation or publication should be obtained from the individual where appropriate.

7. Waiver of Consent

In certain circumstances, informed consent may be waived by an appropriate ethics committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Where consent has been waived, authors should clearly state this in the manuscript and provide information about the approving ethics body and the basis for the waiver where appropriate.

8. Editorial Verification

The journal may request evidence of informed consent or ethical approval during editorial assessment or peer review.

Authors must be able to provide appropriate documentation when requested, while ensuring that confidential participant information is protected.

9. Images and Identifiable Material

Authors must obtain appropriate consent before publishing photographs, videos, clinical images, or other material that could identify an individual.

Images should be appropriately anonymized where possible. Masking or blurring identifying features does not necessarily eliminate the need for consent if the individual could still reasonably be recognized.

10. Right to Refuse Publication

The Netherlands Journal of Critical Care reserves the right to reject a manuscript if required informed consent has not been obtained, participant confidentiality has been compromised, or the journal has reasonable concerns regarding the ethical handling or disclosure of personal information.

11. Post-Publication Concerns

If a published article is subsequently found to contain identifiable information that was published without appropriate consent or that represents a serious breach of confidentiality, the journal may take appropriate corrective action.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include correction, removal of identifying information, an expression of concern, or retraction.

12. Author Responsibility

Authors are ultimately responsible for ensuring that appropriate consent has been obtained and that confidential information is handled ethically and securely.

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that they have complied with applicable informed-consent and confidentiality requirements.

The Netherlands Journal of Critical Care considers informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and respect for individual autonomy essential components of ethical medical research and responsible publication.