Interv Akut Kardiol 2011; 10(Suppl. B): 18-21

The critically ill patient from a lawyer’s perspective

Šárka Špeciánová¹, Miroslav Špecián²

¹ členka Etické komise Všeobecné fakultní nemocnice v Praze

² advokát, Praha

Emergency and crisis (in other words critical) situations are certainly not what one would deliberately seek out. However, they cannot

always be avoided and coping with them is an integral part of life. Sometimes, dealing with them becomes a profession or even mission

as is the case with physicians who strive to help a critically ill patient. Their role is not easy at all because, in addition to medically

coping with the situation, they also have to be able to cope with all its other aspects, ranging from psychological to legal and ethical.

The aim of this article is to highlight some of the legal issues that may be related to the condition of a critically ill patient and to provide

approaches to solving them.

proceedings, guardianship proceedings, commitment proceedings, representation, next of kin.

Keywords: legal facts, legal acts, legal personality, legal capacity, limitation of legal capacity, incapacitation, minors, guardian, civil

Published: June 1, 2011  Show citation