All hospitals and health care providers in Pennsylvania have a duty to uphold the required standards of care. A standard of care is a level of responsibility that must be met by all doctors, nurses, hospitals and emergency rooms to ensure the proper care and treatment of patients. Standards of care are set by what a reasonable and prudent person in the medical industry would do in the same or similar circumstances.
In many cases, determining if a hospital met or fell short of its standard of care requires testimony from a third-party medical specialist. A medical expert in a similar field as the defendant will be used to testify about what he or she would have done in the same situation. If the staff at a hospital fell short of the expected standard of care, they can be held responsible for the mistake and harm it caused to a patient.