Committing an act that a person exercising ordinary care would not do under similar circumstances, or the failure to do what a person practicing ordinary care would do under similar circumstances.
Failure to do something that a reasonable person would do, or doing something that a reasonable and prudent person would not do.
The act of causing injury or harm to another person or to property as the result of doing something wrongly or failing to provide a proper level of care.
The failure to exercise reasonable care. In addition to its ordinary meaning, negligence has a specific legal meaning; it is one kind of tort which results in legal liability. The tort of negligence requires a duty to exercise reasonable care; a failure to exercise such care; and an injury which was proximately caused by that failure. One may commit a careless act, but if no one is injured as a result, there is no “negligence” as far as legal liability is concerned.
The failure of a health care professional to meet his or her responsibilities to a patient, with resultant injury. There are four elements of negligence: duty owed, breach of duty or standard of care, proximate cause or causal connection (between the breach and damages), and damages or injuries or harm. Medical professionals are legally liable for their own negligence or can be held liable for negligence of others of which they have knowledge but fail to report or intercede.