What is it called when a healthcare provider fails to perform a required action, like administering medication?

The term that describes the situation when a healthcare provider fails to perform a required action, such as administering medication, is negligence. In the context of healthcare, negligence occurs when a provider deviates from the accepted standard of care, which results in harm to the patient. It is characterized by an omission where a medical professional fails to act as a reasonable practitioner would under similar circumstances.

Negligence involves several elements: the existence of a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to the harm, and damages suffered by the patient. By failing to administer medication, the provider may be deemed to have breached their duty of care, which can lead to patient harm, thereby establishing a case of negligence.

While malpractice is related to negligence and also pertains to professional misconduct or failure to perform duties, it typically requires a more specific demonstration of skills or knowledge being substandard, which is not the primary focus in this context. Liability refers to situations where a party is held legally responsible, but it is a broader term that can apply to negligence or malpractice rather than specifically describing the failure to act. Assault, on the other hand, generally involves an intentional act of causing fear or harm to a person, which does not relate to the failure