What constitutes "damages" in a medical malpractice context?

In a medical malpractice context, "damages" primarily refer to financial compensation awarded to a patient who has suffered harm due to the negligence of a healthcare provider. This financial compensation is intended to cover a range of losses incurred as a result of the malpractice, which can include medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other related costs. The purpose of damages is to restore the victim to the position they would have been in had the malpractice not occurred.

While punitive actions, increased costs related to further treatment, and loss of professional reputation may play a role within the broader context of medical malpractice law, they do not specifically define "damages" as understood in legal terms. Punitive damages, for example, are intended to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct in the future, rather than to compensate for the patient’s losses. Increased treatment costs and reputation issues may arise from malpractice cases but are not the foundational definition of damages in the legal scope. Thus, financial compensation for harm suffered is the clearest and most applicable definition of "damages" in this context.