REBUILDING PATIENT RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE: CRIMINALISTIC THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL CHALLENGES

This paper discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of restructuring patient rights protection in the context of the digitalization of healthcare in the Republic of Moldova. Digital transformation expands the possibilities for diagnosis, treatment, and quality management of care, but at the same time creates new risks for patient confidentiality, security, and autonomy. It is argued that the protection of patient rights in the digital environment should be based not only on traditional medical confidentiality and the institution of informed consent, but also on technical mechanisms for access control, auditing, cryptographic protection, and organizational preparedness for incidents. National regulations on patient rights, personal data protection, cybersecurity, and trust services are analyzed, as well as European approaches related to the GDPR, the NIS2 Directive, and the European Health Data Space initiative. It is shown that digital criminalistics is becoming a key bridge between medical practice and law enforcement: electronic medical records, access logs, telemedicine metadata, and wearable device data require standardized procedures for detection, preservation, and analysis. On this basis, areas for reform are formulated: clarification of regulatory requirements for electronic health systems, development of infrastructure and competencies, and strengthening trust through transparency and ethical safeguards in the use of artificial intelligence.