Malpractice of Physicians from Legal and Ethical Perspectives

Medical errors, faults or failures made by a doctor or medical team, which can cause bodily harm or injure patients constitutes malpractice; this may occur in the diagnostic phase, upon medical treatment or upon surgery or after. Inaccuracies or improper use of technology or equipment, as well as erroneous interpretation of paraclinical tests are important issues inherent to malpractice. In this article, we discuss the status of malpractice in developing countries, its classification and types of medical injuries considered to be malpractice.

This article is a review compiled from scientific sources, including texts, and existing documentation in the electronic literature.

Essential aspects of malpractice may relate to ethical or legal aspects, physician-patient relationship, physician irresponsibility, patient dissatisfaction or breaching medical ethics in practice.

By abiding by the law, complying to medical ethics, pursuing patience in their practice, attention to the patient’s mental and socio-economic status as well as his or her general condition may decrease or prevent malpractice and litigation.