The Patient as a Party to Mediation – the Rights, Needs and Barriers to Access

Agata Agata Przylepa – Lewak

Authors

Agata Agata Przylepa – Lewak Maria Curie - Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland

Keywords:

medical mediation; patient's rights; medical disputes; alternative dispute resolution; professional responsibility of physicians.

Abstract

This article analyzes the position of the patient as a party to mediation within the Polish legal system, focusing on the patient’s rights, actual needs, and the barriers that restrict access to this form of resolving medical disputes. Although Polish law permits mediation in disputes between patients and healthcare providers, in practice the use of this measure is rare. The author identifies a fundamental paradox seen in the Polish legal reality. The prevailing public perception is that medical disputes should be resolved through litigation, whereas patients’ actual needs extend far beyond strictly financial considerations. Patients primarily expect to have information and an explanation regarding the medical incident, but equally important to them is to be heard, receive an apology, and be assured that similar situations will not happen to other patients. Paradoxically, patients continue to choose judicial proceedings, which focus mainly on the financial aspect, even though their actual needs are much broader.

Mediation, due to its procedural characteristics, responds better to these needs than formal court proceedings, allowing for a comprehensive resolution of the conflict in both the substantive and relational dimensions. Nevertheless, patients rarely use this tool due to cumulative awareness barriers (low recognition of mediation, ignorance of rights as a party to proceedings) and systemic barriers (no early information obligation, problems with the professional liability model in which the mediator is a physician, insufficient organizational support, costs and emotional barriers).

The article proposes introducing a clear obligation to inform patients about the possibility of mediation, revising the model of mediation in proceedings concerning the professional responsibility of physicians and the development of a more specialized model of medical mediation. Only a comprehensive approach, covering both legal and practical aspects, can make mediation a real alternative to judicial proceedings in medical disputes.

Author Biography

Agata Agata Przylepa – Lewak, Maria Curie - Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland

PhD, Assistant Professor, Maria Curie - Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland.

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