What is the standard of care in medical malpractice cases?

The standard of care in medical malpractice cases is specific to the professional context. It is different from the standard in ordinary personal injury cases, which is based on what a reasonable person would do. A health care provider is required to act as a competent health care provider in the same specialty would act when treating a similar patient. Since judges and juries would not understand this standard on their own, the patient will need to introduce expert testimony to explain the standard of care. The expert generally must be from the same specialty as the defendant, or at least be familiar with it.