Patient Care Technician Certification (PCTC) AMCA Practice Exam

What is the term for professional negligence in the healthcare field?

1. Malpractice

2. Negligence

3. Assault

4. Battery

The correct answer is: Malpractice

The term for professional negligence in the healthcare field is malpractice. Malpractice specifically refers to the failure of a healthcare professional to provide the appropriate standard of care, which results in harm or injury to a patient. This can encompass various actions such as misdiagnosis, surgical errors, or incorrect treatment plans, where the professional's actions deviate from what other similarly qualified practitioners would have done in similar circumstances. In contrast, while negligence is a broader term that can apply outside of healthcare and refers to the failure to take reasonable care to avoid causing injury or loss to another person, malpractice specifically ties the negligence to a professional's actions within their field of expertise. Assault and battery, on the other hand, involve physical harm or the threat of harm and are considered criminal acts, not professional negligence. Thus, understanding that malpractice is a specific subset of negligence in the context of healthcare is crucial for properly identifying the correct terminology.