Medical malpractice or professional negligence is the failure of a health care provider to render care in keeping with good and accepted medical techniques or principles. A physician, nurse or technician does something that shouldn't have been done in keeping with good practice, or fails to do something that should have been done in their care of the patient.

This is an excellent question. Many people, including some lawyers, and even some doctors, do not fully understand the nature of the "malpractice" claim. First, we try not to use the term "malpractice," because the prefix "mal" implies that a healthcare provider acts "maliciously," or is a "bad" person. In fact, the prefix "mal" comes from the Latin "malus," which means "bad. See similar questions...

The consequences of a physician’s negligence is likely to negatively change the life of the patient, resulting in extreme physical pain, as well as disfigurement, emotional duress, short or long term disabilities. Along with physical and emotional problems, a medical malpractice victim may undergo strain on familial relationships, loss of employment, and financial hardship. See similar questions...