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Medical Malpractice is a term to signify bad or unskillful practice by a physician or other professional in which the health or welfare of the patient or client is injured. The failure of a professional to follow the accepted standards of practice of his or her profession is considered medical malpractice.

Medical malpractice in general is any act or failure to act by a member of the medical profession that results in harm, injury, distress, prolonged physical or mental suffering, or the termination of life to a patient while that patient is under the care of that medical professional. Usually harm must be proven to have occurred to constitute medical malpractice.

To prove a medical malpractice claim, the patient must prove the health care provider did not comply with an acceptable and reasonable standard of medical care in their specialty, and that this failure was the cause of the patient's harm.