Medical negligence: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

Forensic Medicine · Medical negligence

Sample item

What must be established to prove clinical negligence in general?

AOnly that the patient was dissatisfiedBOnly that an adverse outcome occurredCDuty, breach of standard, causation, and damageDOnly that a procedure was technically difficult

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Duty, breach of standard, causation, and damage

Negligence generally requires a duty of care, breach of the applicable standard, causation linking breach to harm, and demonstrable damage.

Option by option

A. Only that the patient was dissatisfied
Dissatisfaction alone does not prove breach or causation.
B. Only that an adverse outcome occurred
An adverse outcome can occur without negligent care.
C. Duty, breach of standard, causation, and damage (correct)
Correct: all four elements are needed for a negligence claim.
D. Only that a procedure was technically difficult
Technical difficulty may occur despite reasonable practice.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is C, Duty, breach of standard, causation, and damage. Negligence generally requires a duty of care, breach of the applicable standard, causation linking breach to harm, and demonstrable damage.

Why is "Only that the patient was dissatisfied" not the answer?

Dissatisfaction alone does not prove breach or causation.

Why is "Only that an adverse outcome occurred" not the answer?

An adverse outcome can occur without negligent care.

Why is "Only that a procedure was technically difficult" not the answer?

Technical difficulty may occur despite reasonable practice.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Medical negligence in Forensic Medicine. The correct option holds because: Correct: all four elements are needed for a negligence claim.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Medical negligence?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.