Patient signatures on a tablet: electronic consents in a medical facility

According to the 2024 legal opinion for medical facilities, a patient's signature made in SignSafe is handwritten and meets written form, which is required, among others, for consent to a higher-risk procedure. The app may be particularly useful for medical records kept in electronic form. This summarises the opinion and is not legal advice, and we promise nothing beyond what the opinion says.

According to the legal opinion for medical facilities by Gałecki and Associates dated 25 August 2024, a patient’s signature in SignSafe is handwritten and meets written form. That form is generally required, among others, for consent to a higher-risk procedure. The app may be particularly useful for medical records kept in electronic form. This summarises the opinion and is not legal advice.

What does the opinion say about a patient’s signature?

You can download the full text: legal opinion for medical facilities (PDF). In short, according to the opinion:

• rules for medical facilities generally require written form,
• examples: consent to a higher-risk procedure or method (Art. 18 of the Patients’ Rights Act) and a contract for healthcare services, which requires written form on pain of nullity,
• a signature in SignSafe is handwritten and meets written form,
• the app may be particularly useful for medical records in electronic form,
• consent through the Internet Patient Account or a personal signature is documentary form (the opinion describes this law).

We promise nothing beyond that. If your facility has doubts about a specific document, ask a lawyer.

Which consents and documents can a patient sign on a screen?

These are examples of use, not a description of specific facilities:

• consent to a higher-risk procedure or treatment method,
• a contract for healthcare services,
• statements and registration forms,
• consents to data processing,
• confirmation of having read the facility’s rules.

For each document, establish what form the law requires and whether your facility can meet it. The opinion concerns written and documentary form; it does not replace analysis of a specific provision.

What does a patient signature on a tablet look like?

The facility prepares a PDF, ideally a template with fields (patient data, date, choice of consent scope). The patient opens the document in the tablet browser at the practice or on their own phone, fills in the fields and signs with a finger. They create no account and install no app. Once everyone has signed, the ready PDF goes to the sender’s e-mail and the document list, where status is visible as a coloured dot.

Practical tips:

• provide a clear, large screen and a calm place to sign,
• ask for a full signature with first name and surname (the expert’s recommendation in the handwriting opinion),
• make sure the patient had time to read the consent before signing.

Can a patient’s signature be verified?

According to the opinion of Pracownia Grafologiczna dated 29 August 2024, signatures from SignSafe allow forensic comparative examination of handwriting, with non-categorical identifying conclusions and non-categorical and categorical elimination conclusions, freely assessed like any evidence. A limitation: certain motor features, such as pressure and speed, cannot be verified. The expert recommends full, legible signatures. This is not confirmation of the patient’s identity; it is a possibility of comparative verification.

What about medical records and data?

According to the opinion, medical records are in principle kept electronically, but we do not describe here the detailed requirements for keeping and storing them; settle these with a lawyer or a data protection officer. Data in SignSafe is on servers in the EU (OVH hosting), and a data processing agreement is available for business customers. Health data is a special category of personal data, so it is worth discussing access and archiving rules with a lawyer.

Template fields and the observer

In a consent template the patient can enter their own details: PESEL, today’s date (inserted automatically), a date of their choice, numbers and text. You can add an observer to the document, who does not sign but sees it and receives notifications (for example facility administration). The plan has 1 GB for documents; for larger needs we can connect an external drive or a server of the facility, which is agreed in the offer.

Where should a facility start?

1. List the documents patients sign most often.
2. Check with a lawyer the form required for each.
3. Prepare one template and test it on a tablet at reception.
4. Decide where signed documents go and who can access them.
5. Extend the process to further documents.

The SignSafe standard plan costs PLN 69 net per month (full access, 1 GB for documents, cancel any time), with a free trial period at the start. See pricing.

What next

• See the page on e-signature for healthcare.
• Read about legal security and the handwritten e-signature.
• Learn how to fill out documents with an e-signature.
• Contact us.