What term is used to describe a situation where a patient falls and breaks their hip due to negligence?

The term that best describes a situation where a patient falls and breaks their hip due to negligence is negligence. In a healthcare context, negligence refers to the failure of a medical professional to meet the standard of care, resulting in harm or injury to a patient. When a healthcare provider does not take reasonable steps to prevent an accident, such as failing to ensure the safety of the environment or properly assisting a patient, this can lead to situations where patients are harmed, like in the case of a fall leading to a hip fracture.

While liability refers to the legal responsibility for one's actions or omissions, and malpractice specifically pertains to professional negligence by a healthcare provider that leads to patient injury, negligence is the broader term that encompasses the failure to act with reasonable care in the first place. Thus, when discussing a situation directly resulting in a patient injury due to inadequate safety measures or oversight, negligence is the most suitable term, as it focuses on the carelessness that resulted in harm. Injury, on the other hand, describes the outcome of negligence but does not capture the inadequate care aspect.