THE EXPRESS WILL OF A PATIENT: TYPOLOGY BY NATURE OF ITS ORIGIN
The patient's express will, in accordance with the nature of its origin, could be categorized into initial and derivative express will. However, the regulatory framework is insufficient in Latvia, considering the significance of these institutes in the civil-law protection of the patient's express will and their specificity of different legal nature.The aim of the research is to carry out the analysis of the patient's express will types according to the nature of origin, to determine regulatory gaps and propose certain solutions for the elimination of the identified gaps. In order to achieve the aim, the following objectives are set: 1) to analyse the patient's express will classification according to various classification criteria; 2) to study legal nature of patient's consent; 3) to assess patient's refusal of a medical treatment and its legal consequences; 4) to analyse withdrawal by a patient as a derivative express will. The following research methods are applied in the paper: semantic method; grammatical method; historical method; comparative method; systemic method; teleological method. Research hypothesis: if all the patient’s express will types based on the nature of origin are regulated in detail, the legal status of a patient in medical treatment legal relations will be improved and stabilized. Literature, regulatory acts and legal practice materials are applied in the research as information resources.The author has developed the principles regarding the patient's express will types based on the nature of origin, which are in accordance with the legal system of Latvia and should be implemented in the regulatory framework, thus improving the civil law protection of patient's express will.