What is the term for negligence by a professional person?

Malpractice refers to professional negligence that occurs when a healthcare provider fails to provide the appropriate standard of care necessary to protect patients from unreasonable harm. This failure can result in injury or damage to the patient, thus establishing a basis for legal action. In healthcare, professionals such as doctors, nurses, and phlebotomists are expected to adhere to established standards and protocols. If they deviate from these standards in a way that a reasonable practitioner would not, leading to patient harm, they can be held liable for malpractice.

The other terms listed refer to different concepts: misconduct generally involves improper or unlawful behavior but does not specifically relate to negligence in a professional context, defamation pertains to damaging someone's reputation through false statements, and impropriety indicates a failure to observe standards or moral correctness but does not specifically address professional negligence. Therefore, the term that accurately describes negligence by a professional is malpractice.