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Admissibility Of Written Standards As Evidence Of The Standard Of Care In Medical And Hospital Negligence Actions In Virginia, Gwen M. Schockemoehl

University of Richmond Law Review

The standard of care in a medical negligence action represents the duty which the defendant physician, nurse, hospital or other health care provider owes to the patient. In Virginia, it is that degree of care and skill possessed by the reasonably prudent practitioner of the same specialty in this state. This standard is an elusive one at best. While learned treatises and journal articles assist in determining the standard, in practice the plaintiff offers experts who state, based on their knowledge, training, and experience that the standard of care requires the defendant to provide a particular type of care which …