Legal Definitions - med. mal.

Med. mal. is an abbreviation for medical malpractice.

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional, such as a doctor, nurse, dentist, or hospital, acts negligently, meaning they fail to provide the accepted standard of care to a patient. This failure must result in an injury or harm to the patient that would not have occurred otherwise. Essentially, it's a legal claim alleging that a healthcare provider's professional negligence caused a patient's injury or death.

Here are some examples to illustrate medical malpractice:

• Example 1: Misdiagnosis Leading to Delayed Treatment

  A patient visits their primary care physician complaining of persistent, severe headaches and blurred vision. The doctor performs a brief examination and, without ordering further diagnostic tests like an MRI, dismisses the symptoms as stress-related migraines. Several months later, the patient's condition worsens, and a different doctor diagnoses a rapidly growing brain tumor that could have been treated much more effectively if caught earlier. The delay in diagnosis significantly reduced the patient's prognosis and treatment options.

  This illustrates medical malpractice because the first doctor's failure to order appropriate diagnostic tests, given the patient's symptoms, fell below the accepted standard of care for a reasonably prudent physician. This deviation directly led to a delayed diagnosis and subsequent harm to the patient, who lost critical time for effective treatment.

• Example 2: Surgical Error

  During a routine appendectomy, a surgeon accidentally nicks the patient's bowel, causing an internal leak. The surgeon fails to recognize or repair the injury before closing the incision. Days later, the patient develops a severe infection and sepsis, requiring emergency surgery and a prolonged hospital stay, along with permanent digestive issues.

  This demonstrates medical malpractice because the surgeon's accidental injury to the bowel and subsequent failure to identify and correct it during the initial surgery represents a deviation from the accepted standard of care for a competent surgeon. This error directly caused significant additional injury, infection, and suffering for the patient.

• Example 3: Medication Error by Hospital Staff

  A patient is admitted to a hospital for a minor procedure and is prescribed a specific antibiotic. A nurse, misreading the medication chart, administers a different antibiotic to which the patient is severely allergic. The patient immediately suffers a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction, requiring emergency resuscitation and intensive care, extending their hospital stay and causing significant trauma.

  This is an example of medical malpractice because the nurse's administration of the wrong medication, contrary to the doctor's orders and the patient's known allergies, constitutes a clear failure to adhere to the accepted standard of care for medication administration in a hospital setting. This negligence directly resulted in a severe and preventable allergic reaction and harm to the patient.