If a medical professional makes an error that results in injury to the patient, the patient may be able to sue the negligent party or parties for monetary damages to compensate him or her for the medical injury. Medical malpractice occurs when a health care professional or organization acts negligently and causes injury.

The term medical malpractice is generally used to describe any treatment, lack of treatment, or departure from accepted standards of medical care on the part of a health care provider that results in injury to the patient. Some examples of medical malpractice include incorrect diagnosis, failure to treat, improper treatment, delay in treatment, prescription errors, surgical errors, rendition of services without informed consent, etc.