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Telemedicine and Patients’ Rights: Between Technological Progress and the Decline of Legal Safeguards

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Law & EconomicsInnovation & Technology

Telemedicine and Patients’ Rights: Between Technological Progress and the Decline of Legal Safeguards

This research examines the growing importance of telemedicine as a relatively new domain within both healthcare and legal systems. The health sector has experienced profound technological transformations with the rise of this innovative model of care, whose significance became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In many countries, telemedicine played a crucial role in limiting infection, reducing the strain on healthcare institutions, and improving access to medical services for elderly patients and those in remote areas. However, the expansion of telemedicine also raises complex questions concerning patients’ rights and the adequacy of current legal safeguards. This study analyzes the challenges associated with the implementation of telemedicine, highlighting how technological advancement, while beneficial, can create new risks and reveal gaps in existing protection mechanisms. Adopting an analytical and interdisciplinary approach, the research considers both technical and human dimensions of these challenges. It underscores the limitations of the current legal framework in ensuring effective protection for patients and calls for comprehensive legislative reform. Such reform should seek to harmonize technological progress with the preservation of patients’ fundamental rights, ensuring that healthcare innovation continues to serve the principles of human dignity, privacy, and equity.

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