What is meant by the term “standard of care”?
This term is generally defined as follows: what a reasonably prudent physician (or hospital, or nurse, or any other type of healthcare provider) should do under the same or similar circumstances in treating you. This element of a malpractice case usually requires expert testimony to establish what the standard of care is and to establish that the doctor (or hospital, etc.) has violated (i.e. not met) the standard of care. Any matter that an ordinary lay person would not know – such as the standard of care and causation – requires expert testimony for you to prove your case.
