Administrative-legal assurance of the reliability and ethics of medical decisions in wartime

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the administrative-legal assurance of the reliability and ethics of medical decision-making in wartime conditions, combining normative analysis with empirical data from a frontline Ukrainian hospital. Materials and Methods: The normative framework includes international standards of the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross, professional medical associations, the European Charter of Patients’ Rights (2002), European Union legislation, and the national healthcare and wartime legislation of Ukraine. The empirical component comprised a cross-sectional anonymous survey conducted between May and September 2025 among 40 healthcare workers at a rural hospital located near the active frontline in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The questionnaire assessed decision-making complexity, perceived probability of errors, stress impact, resource availability, preparedness, and willingness to report incidents.