Medico-legal assessment of malpractice under the Austrian penal code

In recent years, Austria has seen some change in the approach to errors in medical practice. The privileged position of the medical practitioner within the meaning of the former penal code, in force till 1974, no longer exists; however, errors leading to insignificant damage to the patient's health may remain free from punishment. In any case, nowadays, the categories of the dogmatics of negligence are applied to the doctor's professional activity. The traditional concept of 'malpractice' as formerly applied has virtually been displaced from the medico-legal assessment of an error in medical practice. The patient-doctor relationship based on trust is increasingly being supplemented by legal norms. Accordingly, the doctor's liability appears increasingly as the doctor's typical professional risk. Yet, in Austria, the doctor's liability is still kept within limits. The situation, with some cases in point, is analysed and described.