Our familiarity of the term ""medical malpractice"", which is commonplace in North American jurisdictions, and increasingly used elsewhere, cannot disguise an element of imprecision. Frequently equated with negligence, ""malpractice"" has also been held to cover trespassory conduct, as well as to embrace professional misconduct more generally. Although the essential focus of this volume is on medical negligence, it incorporates some material, for example, on confidentiality and fiduciary relationships, which reflects a broader conception of the field. In selecting the articles which make up the work, the author concentrated on providing an overview of medical practice and malpractice which highlights the ways in which the issues and developments have been addressed in a variety of jurisdictions.
