What is the correct order of the four elements of malpractice?

• A. Duty, Causation, Breach, Damages.
• B. Duty, Breach, Causation, Damages.
• C. Damages, Duty, Causation, Breach.
• D. Breach, Duty, Damages, Causation.

Answer: (B)

In medical malpractice, you establish the claim by confirming four elements in a logical sequence: a duty to the patient exists, there is a breach of that duty, the breach causes injury, and the patient suffers damages. The correct order is Duty, Breach, Causation, Damages. The duty arises from the physician-patient relationship, the breach is the failure to meet the standard of care, causation ties the breach to the injury (often requiring proof of actual and proximate cause), and damages are the actual harm or loss incurred. Other sequences mix up causation and breach or place damages before the causal link, which breaks the necessary progression from obligation to harm.