Protection of patients’ rights to confidentiality and informed consent in reproductive health

Literature review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2026.83.68-78

Keywords:

reproductive health, patients’ rights, confidentiality, informed consent, medical law, public policy, personal data protection, assisted reproductive technologies, legal liability, medical ethics

Abstract

Objective of the review: to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the legal and ethical foundations for protecting patients’ rights to confidentiality and informed consent in the field of reproductive health; to identify the specific features of the legal regulation of personal medical data processing; and to examine the mechanisms ensuring the patient’s right to autonomous decision-making regarding medical interventions in the context of modern reproductive technologies and international human rights standards.

Methodology. The study employed a set of general scientific and special legal research methods, including formal legal, systemic and structural, comparative-legal, and legal analysis methods. The source base comprised the regulatory legal acts of Ukraine, international human rights and healthcare instruments, scholarly works of domestic and foreign researchers, as well as materials of law enforcement and judicial practice concerning the protection of medical confidentiality and informed consent in the field of reproductive health.

Analysis of the literature. The legal regulation of reproductive health in Ukraine and international practice establishes clear requirements for healthcare institutions and medical personnel regarding the collection, processing, storage, and protection of patients’ personal data, as well as ensuring an adequate level of informed consent. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in legal liability, adverse social consequences, and a decline in public trust in the healthcare system. This underscores the necessity of developing a comprehensive system for the protection of patients’ rights based on the integration of legislative provisions, medical protocols, ethical standards, and public policy measures aimed at enhancing the safety of medical services, increasing public legal awareness, and ensuring effective personal data protection.

Conclusions. The study of this issue made it possible to outline legal mechanisms for ensuring a balance between state interests in the healthcare sector and the personal rights of patients, as well as to identify directions for improving the regulatory framework and practical approaches to the protection of patients’ rights. This confirms the relevance of the topic for contemporary Ukrainian legislation and public policy, given its interdisciplinary nature, which combines medical law, human rights, and state regulatory practices in the field of reproductive health. The findings also highlight the need for further scholarly research, legislative activity, and the development of effective mechanisms for ensuring and protecting patients’ rights.

Author Biographies

M.M. Blikhar, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv

doctor of juridical science, professor, head of the Department of Administrative and Information Law, Institute for Law, Psychology and Innovative Education

I.I. Komarnytska, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv

doctor of juridical science, professor, Department of Civil Law and Procedure, Institute for Law, Psychology and Innovative Education

M.M. Yaremchuk, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Lviv

PhD in juridical science, senior lecturer, Department of Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics

N.M. Kalka, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Lviv

PhD in psychology, associate professor, Department of Practical Psychology, Educational and Scientific Institute of Management, Psychology and Security

M.R. Malets, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv

PhD in juridical science, associate professor, Department of Administrative and Information Law, Institute for Law, Psychology and Innovative Education

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Published

2026-05-14

How to Cite

Blikhar, M., Komarnytska, I., Yaremchuk, M., Kalka, N., & Malets, M. (2026). Protection of patients’ rights to confidentiality and informed consent in reproductive health: Literature review. REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY, (83), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2026.83.68-78

Issue

No. 83 (2026)

Section

Legal aspects of reproductive health

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