Different standards of care apply depending upon the circumstances of any given medical malpractice case. In recognition of the fact that doctors and other healthcare providers are only human, and that bad outcomes do occur, the relevant standard varies based upon the circumstances and must be established in consultation with the medical community. In some cases, matters are complicated because the patient may not actually know what caused the additional harm, and so detailed investigation may be required to discover what actually happened in your case. In general, the practice of medicine is complicated, which means that it is especially important to retain a lawyer who has significant experience handling medical malpractice cases and who has the resources necessary to retain the best experts in the industry to support your claim.