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Article History

Received: 21 October 2025

Accepted: 6 January 2026

First Online: 12 January 2026

Declarations

:

: This study’s primary data and analysis are based on non-human sources. The involvement of human participants was limited to informal expert consultations with professional colleagues to verify the study’s findings. No personal, private, or health-related data was collected from these individuals; the discussions focused exclusively on the interpretation of the non-human research data. The need for written informed consent and ethics approval was deemed unnecessary according to national regulations. In Germany, statutory legislation mandating ethics committee review, such as the Medicines Act ( Arzneimittelgesetz ) or the Medical Devices Act ( Medizinproduktegesetz ), applies specifically to medical and pharmaceutical research. For social science research and expert consultations that do not involve vulnerable groups or sensitive personal data, no comparable statutory legislation exists. Instead, this study was conducted in accordance with the ‘Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice’ (Code of Conduct) established by the German Research Foundation (DFG), which serves as the central regulatory framework for research integrity in Germany (see ). Additionally, we followed the recommendations of the German Data Forum (RatSWD), which emphasizes reflexive ethical conduct rather than a blanket ethics vote (see ). Therefore, in line with these national standards, we opted for informed participation rather than a formal ethics vote. While formal written consent was not required, informed verbal consent was obtained from all colleagues who participated in the expert consultations to ensure compliance with ethical standards.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.