Selected aspects of advance care planning according to Polish legal regulations — physician’s requirements

Abstract

In 2017, the group of 109 experts from various countries developed the international consensus definition of advance care planning (ACP), which is defined as enabling individuals to define objectives and preferences for future medical treatment and care, to discuss these goals and preferences with family and healthcare providers, and to record and review these preferences if appropriate. ACP plays a significant role in the care of patients with chronic diseases, and especially may have an impact on the situation of palliative care patients, their families and healthcare professionals who look after them. This article analyses the legal constraints of ACP in Poland, and presents legal regulations related to some selected issues of ACP. One of the essential features of ACP is disclosing information to the patient and taking into account the patient’s decisions concerning the treatment and medical care. This is provided for in Polish law and healthcare professionals are obliged to observe it. Moreover, the Polish law includes broad principles applying to providing the patient’s family with information about diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. However, advance directives and health care proxy have not been regulated by national law yet. Therefore, it seems that the incorporation of ACP into Polish healthcare system requires the development of new legal regulations.