The Role of Informed Consent in the Legality and Legal Protection of Medical Personnel
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54518/rh.6.3.2026.1152Keywords:
Health Law, Informed Consent, Legal Contruction, Legal Protection, Medical PersonnelAbstract
Medical professionals face litigation risks from legal uncertainty in medical procedures, highlighting informed consent as an important legal protection amid rising medical disputes in Indonesia. The purpose of this research is to analyze the role of informed consent in ensuring the legality of medical procedures, examine its legal construction as a basis for excluding criminal liability for medical personnel under Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health, and assess its application in digital health services and high-risk medical procedures. The research method used is normative juridical with a statute approach and a conceptual approach. The results of the study indicate that informed consent is not merely an administrative formality, but rather the primary legal basis that transforms invasive procedures into legally valid actions by fulfilling patient autonomy. Legally, informed consent functions as a justification (rechtvaardigingsgronden) that eliminates the material unlawfulness of medical procedures, as long as they are carried out according to professional standards and without information defects (vitiated consent). This study concludes that informed consent is an essential preventive legal protection instrument that eliminates criminal culpability through the principle of volenti non fit iniuria, provided that medical information is communicated effectively.
Downloads
References
Arthanti, W. B. (2025). Implementasi otonomi dalam praktik kedokteran di Indonesia: Tinjauan etik dan hukum: The principle of autonomy in medical practice in Indonesia: A review of ethics and laws. Jurnal Hukum dan Etika Kesehatan, 174–187. https://doi.org/10.30649/jhek.v5i2.249.
Auliansyah, D., Dilaga, R. K., Fikri, A. M., & Herjunaidi. (2025). Upaya perlindungan hukum terhadap tenaga kesehatan melalui informed consent dalam teori kepastian hukum. Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, Humaniora dan Politik, 5(5), 4634–4641. https://doi.org/10.38035/jihhp.v5i5.5524.
Ayudha, R. P., & Herlambang, H. (2026). The juridical position of informed consent as a legal protection instrument for healthcare workers in immunization services. Syiah Kuala Law Journal, 10(1), 100-112.
Brazier, M., & Cave, E. (2016). Medicine, patients, and the law. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Carstens, P. (2024). The application of the doctrine of informed consent in South African medical law: Reflections on significant developments in the case law. South African Law Journal, 141(1), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.47348/SALJ/v141/i1a4.
Dewi, G. A. M. P., & Adiatmika, I. P. G. (2025). Legal and ethical analysis of the implementation of informed consent in medical practice in Indonesia. Babali Nursing Research, 6(3), 578–585. https://doi.org/10.37363/bnr.2025.63491.
Firma, F. R., Jusri, E., & Sapsudin, A. (2025). Comparative review of informed consent as a legal safeguard in healthcare: Perspectives from Indonesia and others countries. Research Horizon, 5(4), 1265–1280. https://doi.org/10.54518/rh.5.4.2025.717.
Gustina, N., Fauziah, F., & Agustina, R. S. (2022). Pemberian informed consent dalam hal perlindungan hukum terhadap tenaga kesehatan. Sultan Jurisprudence: Jurnal Riset Ilmu Hukum, 2(1), 78–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.51825/sjp.v2i1.15780.
Harahap, H. R. H. H. R., & Ma, A. M. M. F. A. (2025). Criminal policy reform for medical personnel in Indonesia’s new criminal code: Legal protection and implementation challenges. Research Horizon, 5(6), 2923–2934. https://doi.org/10.54518/rh.5.6.2025.910.
Herisasono, A., Darmawan, D., Gautama, E. C., & Issalillah, F. (2023). Protection of patient rights in the perspective of law and medical ethics in Indonesia. Journal of Social Science Studies, 3(2), 195–202. https://jos3journals.id/index.php/jos3/article/view/271.
Irawati, A. C., Kristiningrum, W., & Andayani, A. (2020). Pendampingan perlindungan hukum pelayanan kesehatan melalui informed consent. Indonesian Journal of Community Empowerment (IJCE), 2(2), 88-98. https://doi.org/10.35473/ijce.v2i2.752.
Kurniawan, F., Aspan, H., & Andoko, A. (2024). A juridical review of informed consent based on law number 17 of 2023 concerning health as a replacement for law number 36 of 2009. Bengkoelen Justice: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, 14(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.33369/jbengkoelenjust.v14i1.33564.
Kusumastuti, W., Yunila, E., & Arso, S. P. (2025). Legal review of informed consent: Role and implementation challenges in improving hospital health services in Indonesia. In BIO Web of Conferences (Vol. 193, p. 00027). Paris: EDP Sciences.
Mariyani, Y. R. D. (2020). Perlindungan hukum bagi dokter dan pasien dalam melakukan informed consent pada tindakan C-section tanpa indikasi medis. Jurnal Hukum dan Pembangunan Ekonomi, 8(2), 188–198.
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. (2008). Regulation of the Minister of Health Number 290/Menkes/Per/III/2008 concerning Approval of Medical Procedures.
Muhammad, H., & Cut, K. (2024). Communication in health care services: An overview of the legal position of informed consent. International Journal of Law, Social Science, and Humanities, 1(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.70193/ijlsh.v1i1.139.
Nakagawa, C. R., Pontes, G. A., Sanches, L. D. C., & Ribeiro, E. R. (2024). Perception of resident physicians about the informed consent form. Revista Bioética, 32(9), 345–356. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-803420243750EN.
Naurah, G. (2025). The validity of electronic informed consent in hospital services: A juridical analysis based on law number 17 of 2023 on health. In Proceedings of International Conference on Islamic Community Studies (pp. 77–85). Cham: Pearson.
Pont, A. V., Immanuel, K. M., Sugiastuti, N. Y., & Noya, S. W. (2025). Legal aspects of informed consent in medical procedures. International Journal of Health, Economics, and Social Sciences (IJHESS), 7(4), 1944–1948. https://doi.org/10.56338/ijhess.v7i4.8795.
Putra, N. I. K. U., Kuswardhani, T., & Purwani, S. P. M. (2024). Analysis of patient rights protection through medical record confidentiality and information disclosure system in Indonesian hospitals. Journal La Sociale, 5(2), 539–549.
Republic of Indonesia. (2004). Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 29 of 2004 concerning Medical Practice. State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia 2004 Number 116. State Secretariat.
Republic of Indonesia. (2023). Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health. State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia 2023 Number 105. State Secretariat.
Sari, I. A. P. W. I., & Udiana, G. K. (2025). Informed consent in Indonesian medical practice: Alignment between legal norms, clinical reality, and patient rights. Jurnal Dharmaputra Hukum Kesehatan, 1(2), 38–46.
Sastrani, I. D. A. N. U. (2025). Analisis yuridis peran informed consent dalam penghapusan pertanggungjawaban pidana bagi tenaga medis. Journal Evidence of Law, 4(1), 347–359. https://doi.org/10.59066/jel.v4i1.1214.
Sundari, S., Silitonga, S., & Ningrum, A. D. A. (2022). The legal power of informed consent as a valid evidence in cases of alleged malpractice in terms of civil law. Legal Brief, 11(2), 520–548.
Susilowati, E. A., Yuspin, W., & Absori, A. (2021). Compliance of medical personnel against the implementation of informed consent: A lawsuit prevention study for medical disputes. Soepra Jurnal Hukum Kesehatan, 7(2), 259-274. https://doi.org/10.24167/shk.v7i2.3545.
Tambunan, E. M., Harahap, S. Y., Khalishah, K., Lubis, A. R., & Sitompul, B. V. (2025). Legal accountability and innovative strategies in enhancing healthcare workers’ compliance with the implementation of informed consent and refusal in midwifery services in Medan City. Journal of Law, Politic and Humanities, 6(1), 198–211. https://doi.org/10.38035/jlph.v6i1.2453.
Thahir, P. S., & Tongat, T. (2024). Legal review of medical crime: Patient protection and professional responsibility in medical practice. Audito Comparative Law Journal (ACLJ), 5(2), 130–142.
Viranda, J., & Zulfiko, R. (2026). Analysis of legal responsibility for forged informed consent in emergency medical procedures: A comparative study of Indonesian court verdicts. Healthy Tadulako Journal (Jurnal Kesehatan Tadulako), 12(1), 167–174. https://doi.org/10.22487/htj.v12i1.1819.
Wahyuni, C. I. D., Laskarwati, B., & Al Qulub, N. M. (2020). Informed consent in health services: How are the patients’ rights protected? Journal of Law and Legal Reform, 1(4), 591–604. https://doi.org/10.15294/jllr.v1i4.39891.
Wijaya, M. G., & Irhamdessetya, H. (2025). Legal liability for medical malpractice in the Indonesian health law system. In The Virtual International Conference on Economics, Law and Humanities (Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 54–59). Ungaran: Universitas Ngudi Waluyo.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Danetsye Samallo, Yana Chaeru Taufik Ismail
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
