The standard of care is the professional context that determines negligence in medical malpractice cases. The standard here is different from that in ordinary personal injury cases when decisions are based on what they would do in the same position.
When treating a similar patient, health care providers are supposed to follow the same standards as competent providers in the same specialty. Due to the fact that judges and juries cannot comprehend this standard of care, the patient will have to provide expert testimony to explain it to them. There is generally a requirement that the expert belong to the same specialty as the defendant or at least have professional knowledge of it.