Which legal principle allows patients to sue healthcare providers for failing to meet the standard of care?

The legal principle that allows patients to sue healthcare providers for failing to meet the standard of care is negligence. Negligence in healthcare refers to a situation where a provider's actions (or lack of actions) fall below the accepted standard of care in the medical community, leading to harm or injury to a patient.

To successfully prove negligence, a patient must typically demonstrate four key elements: a duty of care was owed by the healthcare provider, the provider breached that duty by failing to act as a competent professional would under similar circumstances, the breach directly caused the patient's injury, and there were damages resulting from that injury. This frame of legal accountability is critical in maintaining the integrity of healthcare practice, ensuring that providers adhere to established standards for patient safety and care quality.

The other options address different aspects of legal and ethical principles but do not specifically pertain to the act of suing for failure to maintain the standard of care. Liability refers to the state of being responsible for something, especially in law, and accountability relates to the obligation of healthcare providers to answer for their actions. Due process pertains to legal rights ensuring fair treatment under the law, but it does not directly address the concept of negligence or the standard of care in a healthcare context. Negligence is