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The course aims to familiarise students with the provision of healthcare (health services) in the context of medical law as well as contemporary medical ethics. Students will acquire detailed knowledge of the relevant legal rules governing the provision of health services and of the ethical principles applicable to healthcare. They will also understand the relationship between medical law and ethics and the conflicts that may sometimes arise between them.
Using real case studies from medical practice, students will learn to apply the relevant legal rules and identify ethical problems. They will be able to arrive at solutions consistent with the applicable Czech legal order while remaining aware of the ethical dimension of the case and of possible alternative solutions (whether based purely on medical ethics or adopted by a foreign legislature). The course will also emphasise the development of students’ ability to critically analyse specific legal rules, including by comparing them with a purely ethical approach to the issue or with an instructive foreign legislative solution, and to formulate de lege ferenda proposals. The ten classes are divided into two blocks. The first block introduces the applicable legal framework, with emphasis on the development of individual institutions of contemporary medical law in light of the growing influence of medical ethics. It also discusses in detail the principles of medical ethics, their limits within the Czech legal order, and differing approaches in selected foreign jurisdictions. The second block focuses on specific topics in medical law and ethics. Teaching consists of interactive lectures, individual and group work with selected legal provisions, and practical case studies requiring students to argue from the perspective of different roles (the patient, close persons – legal representative/guardian, healthcare professional, healthcare provider, etc.). Participation in classes requires prior preparation, in particular reading the relevant topic in the study materials, amounting to approximately two hours per week. Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (17.09.2026)
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1. The colloquium consists of a 15-standard-page written essay on a topic selected by the student and related to the course content, and an oral presentation of the essay. 2. A further condition for successful completion of the course is at least 80% attendance (i.e. attendance at a minimum of 7 seminars). 3. Students will be assessed on the basis of their participation in seminars, the quality of the final essay, and its presentation. Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (17.09.2026)
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The course covers the following topics: Block I – Legal and Ethical Aspect of Healthcare Provision - Legal Aspect of Healthcare Provision in the Czech Republic - Fundamental Principles of Medical Ethics - History of the Influence of Medical Ethics on the Czech Medical Law - Medical Ethics and Selected Foreign Medical Law Block II – Legal and Ethical Aspects of Selected Issues in Medicine - Access to Healthcare - Beginning of Life - Human Body and its Parts - Medical Research - End of Life - Ethics Consultation Services Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (17.09.2026)
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Required literature: 1. BRAZIER, M., CAVE, E. Medicine, Patients and the Law. 6th edition. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2016. ISBN 978-1-7849-9136-4. 2. BEAUCHAMP, Tom L. a James Franklin CHILDRESS. Principles of biomedical ethics. 6th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. 3. HAŠKOVCOVÁ, Helena. Lékařská etika. 4. aktual. vydání. Praha: Galén 2015. 4. KREJČÍKOVÁ, Helena. Medical Futility in Czech Paediatrics: At the Edge of Law, Bioethics, and Medicine. In: Ed. Choong, Kartina A. Medical Futility in Paediatrics: Interdisciplinary and International Perspectives.Trivent Publishing, 2019, p. 233- 249. ISBN 978-615-81353-0-6 (print), ISBN 978-615-81353-1-3 (electronic). 5. KREJČÍKOVÁ, Helena. Right to healthcare and the sustainability of the healthcare systems from the European perspective. In: Eds. Baez, Narcisco Leandro a Pavel Šturma. Mecanismos internacionais e internos de efetividade dos direitos fundamentai. Joacabe SC: Editora Unoesc, 2014, p. 289-296. ISBN 978-85-8422-019-9. 6. KREJČÍKOVÁ, Helena. Euthanasia as Ultima Ratio Solution – Unrealistic Concept in Practice, Medicine and Law, 2018, Vol. 37, Issue 3, p. 417-432. ISSN 0723-1393. 7. PETERKOVÁ, Helena. Defensive Medicine in the Czech Republic —an underestimated consequence of the fear of medical liability. Lex Medicinae – Revista Portuguesa de Direito da Saude. Numero especial –IV EAHL conference, Coimbra, 2014, p. 215-221. ISSN 1646-0359. Required legal regulations: 1. Convention on Biomedicine 2. Act No. 372/2011 Coll., on Healthcare Services 3. Act No. 89/2012 Coll., Civil Code 4. Act No. 40/2009 Coll., Criminal Code Other legal regulations: Ethical Codex of the Czech Medical Chamber Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (17.09.2026)
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By completing the course, the student acquires the following knowledge and skills: 1) Defines the basic legal-theoretical and ethical framework for the provision of health services on the basis of the applicable Czech legal order and the basic principles of medical ethics in the context of healthcare practice in the Czech Republic, including in comparison with selected foreign approaches. 2) Explains the relationship between legal argumentation and ethical reasoning in medicine using relevant legal regulations and ethical principles in the context of typical as well as borderline situations arising in the provision of health services. 3) Describes the development of the key institutions of medical law on the basis of the historical development of Czech legislation and the growing influence of medical ethics in the context of contemporary healthcare provision. 4) Distinguishes the basic principles of medical ethics and their significance with regard to autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice in the context of decision-making by healthcare professionals, patients, and healthcare providers. 5) Distinguishes the basic normative ethical theories (utilitarianism, deontological ethics, virtue ethics) and their significance for resolving practical ethical problems in healthcare. 6) Assesses the limits of the application of ethical principles in relation to the binding rules of Czech law in cases where some ethically acceptable options differ from the legally permissible solution. 7) Interprets the relevant legal norms governing the provision of health services in accordance with the methods of legal interpretation and the systematics of the Czech legal order in the context of specific medico-legal situations. 8) Applies the relevant legislation, in accordance with the applicable Czech legal order, to model case studies from medical practice. 9) Identifies the legally relevant and ethically significant facts of a case using case-study analysis and argumentation based on the roles of the participants in the context of decision-making on the provision of health services. 10) Analyses the ethical problem contained in a medical case study using the principles of medical ethics and expert argumentation in the context of conflict between the interests of the patient, close persons, healthcare professionals, and the provider. 11) Proposes a legally defensible solution to a case in accordance with the Czech legal order and with awareness of the ethical consequences of the chosen course of action in the context of ordinary as well as conflict situations in healthcare practice. 12) Compares legal and ethical solutions to a medical case using Czech legislation, a purely ethical approach, and selected foreign solutions in the context of expert discussion of the case study. 13) Defends the chosen solution to a medico-legal problem by means of factually correct legal and ethical argumentation in the context of an individual or group discussion from the perspective of different procedural or social roles. 14) Assesses the legal and ethical aspects of access to healthcare according to relevant legal rules, the principle of equal access, and the principle of justice in the context of decision-making on the availability and prioritisation of care. 15) Evaluates legal and ethical issues connected with the beginning of life on the basis of Czech legislation, ethical principles, and selected foreign approaches in the context of reproductive medicine and related case studies. 16) Assesses the legal regime and ethical implications of dealing with the human body and its parts in accordance with the relevant legal regulations and professional standards in the context of transplantation, the processing of parts of the human body, and other ethically sensitive activities. 17) Applies the legal and ethical requirements for medical research according to the rules on the protection of research participants, informed consent, and research integrity in the context of assessing research projects and research case studies. 18) Evaluates legal and ethical dilemmas at the end of life in accordance with Czech law, the principles of palliative care, and the arguments of medical ethics in the context of decision-making about treatment, its limitation, or its withdrawal. 19) Explains the function and benefits of clinical ethics consultation services on the basis of their purpose, methods of work, and relationship to the legal liability of healthcare professionals and healthcare providers in the context of resolving complex clinical situations. 20) Formulates a reasoned de lege ferenda proposal on the basis of identified shortcomings of the current legal regulation, ethical starting points, and comparative insights in the context of a selected medico-legal topic. Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (17.09.2026)
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To enrol in Law and Ethics in Medicine, students are advised to have at least enrolled in the course Legal Liability in Healthcare; this does not apply to students in disciplines other than law (e.g. students of medical faculties).
Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (17.09.2026)
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