Question

Discuss the concept of negligence and intentional torts and give examples of these in the healthcare industry.

Answer 1

Intentional torts occur as a result of conscious and purposeful act. They are committed by an offender who understands that he or she is committing a injury. These do not always cause an end result.

Examples - Forcing unwanted medical care in a patient. If the patient refuses and if the physician has forced him, he may sue the physician for intentional torts.

Negligence occurs when a individual does not exercise duty of care. It is a cause of action in a injury / harm and it is a form of conduct that does not meet the reasonable standard of care. It is decided by determining the duty of the defendant , whether or not the defendant committed a breach of duty , the cause of injury and the injury itself.

Examples - failure to diagnose , failure to treat properly, misreading or ignoring laboratory results , unnecessary surgery and etc.