When most people think of medical malpractice, they picture doctors, surgeons, or hospitals. But what about alternative medicine practitioners like acupuncturists? The short answer is yes, acupuncturists can be held liable for medical malpractice, just like other licensed healthcare providers.
What Is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider breaches their duty of care to a patient, and that breach causes injury. To bring a successful malpractice claim, a patient generally needs to prove:
- A provider-patient relationship existed,
- The acupuncturist failed to follow the accepted standard of care,
- The patient was injured as a result, and
- The injury led to specific damages (physical, emotional, or financial).
What Could Malpractice Look Like in Acupuncture?
While acupuncture is often considered low-risk, there are real and sometimes serious complications that can arise from negligent practice.
Examples of potential malpractice include:
- Improper needle insertion that punctures organs or causes nerve damage,
- Failure to sterilize equipment, leading to infections,
- Lack of proper training or licensing,
- Ignoring medical contraindications, such as treating a patient with a bleeding disorder or pacemaker, or
- Failure to refer a patient to a medical doctor when appropriate.
Licensing and Legal Standards
In most U.S. states, acupuncturists must be licensed and adhere to specific standards of care.
This means they’re held legally accountable if their care falls below those standards and results in harm.
Courts often look to professional guidelines, expert testimony, and state laws to determine whether malpractice occurred.
When Should You Speak to an Attorney?
If you have been injured during or after acupuncture treatment and suspect negligence played a role, it may be worth speaking to a medical malpractice attorney.
An attorney can help investigate whether the acupuncturist’s conduct was outside the scope of safe, competent practice, and whether you have a case.
Contact Otorowski & Golden, PLLC
Please know that our firm is here to help if you were injured due to a medical provider’s malpractice. Otorowski & Golden, PLLC provides free consultations to all our potential clients. The attorneys at our law firm also have over 120 years of combined experience representing injured parties in medical malpractice cases. They never back down to insurers and fight for their clients’ interests every step of the way. Do yourself a favor and contact them now for the quality legal representation you deserve.