The recognized standard duty of care refers to the accepted medical treatment and procedures that are understood by reasonable health care professionals as the appropriate course of action to heal an injury or treat a disease. As a patient, you have the right to expect your doctors, nurses, and other medical caregivers to administer treatment that is consistent with the accepted medical standards of the day.
If your attorney is able to determine that a standard of care was breached and you suffered a loss or injury because of it, you may have a case for medical malpractice. There are other elements that must be proven for a failure to meet the standard of care to rise to the level of medical malpractice. An attorney can help you understand the elements required to prove that medical negligence has led to medical malpractice in your particular situation.