Navigating the legal landscape of medical malpractice in Türkiye can be complex. This glossary provides clear English definitions for key legal and medical terms used in Turkish health law.
Turkish: Tıbbi Uygulama Hatası / Malpraktis
Medical malpractice is a legal assessment of whether healthcare conduct departed from the applicable professional standard and caused compensable harm. A poor outcome alone does not establish malpractice.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Sağlık Hukuku
Health law is the field governing relationships among patients, professionals, facilities, regulators and payers. In Türkiye it draws on public, private, criminal, consumer and data-protection rules rather than one single health-law code.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Aydınlatılmış Onam
Informed consent is the patient's decision after receiving understandable information relevant to the proposed intervention. The review concerns the explanation and decision-making process, not merely whether a form carries a signature.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Zamanaşımı
A statute of limitations is a time rule that can restrict when a claim or application may be pursued. There is no safe universal deadline for every Turkish medical dispute.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Maddi Tazminat
Pecuniary damages concern financial loss that can be evidenced and linked to the event, such as treatment expenses, travel, care needs or lost earnings. They are assessed from proof, not a standard tariff.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Manevi Tazminat
Non-pecuniary damages address non-financial harm such as pain, distress and effects on bodily integrity or quality of life. They are distinct from reimbursement of invoices and lost income.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Komplikasyon
A complication is an adverse event associated with an illness or intervention. Calling an outcome a complication does not, by itself, decide whether care was appropriate or whether liability exists.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Vekaletname
A power of attorney is an authorisation allowing another person, including a lawyer, to perform specified legal acts for the grantor. Its required form and wording depend on the intended act.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Yargıtay
The Court of Cassation, Yargıtay, is Türkiye's highest appellate court for ordinary civil and criminal justice. Its decisions help explain how legal rules are applied, but a cited decision must be checked in context.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Adli Tıp Kurumu (ATK)
The Forensic Medicine Institute, Adli Tıp Kurumu, is an official expert institution within Türkiye's justice system. It may provide specialised opinions when requested by competent judicial authorities.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: İspat Yükü
The burden of proof determines which party bears the consequence when a legally relevant fact is not established. Its allocation depends on the claim, defence and governing procedural rules.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Sağlık Turizmi
International health tourism covers healthcare obtained in Türkiye by qualifying patients who travel from abroad, together with regulated support services. Providers and intermediaries may need specific authorisation.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Özen Yükümlülüğü
Duty of care describes the diligence expected within a healthcare relationship. The content of that duty is determined by the provider's role, the patient's condition and the circumstances at the relevant time.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Türk Borçlar Kanunu (TBK)
The Turkish Code of Obligations, Law No. 6098, contains general rules on contracts, performance, breach, tort and damages. It is a central source for many private healthcare disputes.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Arabuluculuk
Mediation is a confidential facilitated negotiation conducted by a registered neutral. In some categories of Turkish disputes, applying to mediation is a procedural precondition before filing suit.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Cezai Sorumluluk
Criminal liability concerns conduct meeting the elements of an offence under Turkish criminal law. It is separate from civil compensation and professional or administrative review.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Tıbbi Standart
The standard of care is the professional benchmark used to evaluate clinical conduct in the circumstances. It is specific to the procedure, specialty, patient and time of treatment.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Tüketici Hukuku
Consumer law regulates qualifying transactions between consumers and commercial or professional providers. Some private healthcare disputes may fall within this framework, depending on the parties and transaction.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Sağlık Kurulu Raporu / Heyet Raporu
A medical board report is a formal assessment produced by a committee or authorised health board for a defined purpose. Its scope, issuing body and methodology determine its relevance.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: İlliyet Bağı / Nedensellik Bağı
Causation is the legally relevant connection between alleged conduct and the claimed injury or loss. It is separate from proving that conduct fell below the required standard.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Maluliyet Oranı
A permanent disability rate is a formal percentage assessment of lasting functional impairment made under an applicable methodology. It is not the same as a negligence finding or a compensation amount.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Geçici İş Göremezlik
Temporary incapacity describes a medically supported period during which injury limits work or ordinary functions before recovery or stabilisation. Its legal effect depends on the claim and evidence.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: İyatrojenik Zarar
An iatrogenic injury is harm associated with medical examination or treatment. The descriptive label does not establish that the harm resulted from negligence.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Hastane Enfeksiyonu
A nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection is an infection connected with healthcare exposure and not simply any infection noticed after treatment. Classification and responsibility require clinical analysis.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Yanlış Taraf Ameliyatı
Wrong-site surgery involves an intervention on the wrong patient, procedure, body part or side. It is a serious safety event requiring precise factual and institutional review.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Cerrahi İhmal
Surgical negligence is an allegation that planning, performance or perioperative management fell below the required professional standard and caused harm. It is not established by dissatisfaction alone.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Ameliyat Sonrası Bakım Yükümlülüğü
Post-operative care covers monitoring, instructions, communication and treatment after an operation. The required response depends on the procedure, symptoms and foreseeable risks.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Endikasyon Dışı İlaç Kullanımı
Off-label use means using a medicine outside aspects of its authorised product information. It is not automatically improper, but may raise regulatory, clinical and consent questions.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Tıbbi Cihaz Sorumluluğu
Medical device liability concerns harm alleged to arise from a device's design, manufacture, instructions, supply, implantation or use. Multiple actors and legal bases may be involved.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Estetik Cerrahi Mevzuatı
Cosmetic surgery in Türkiye is governed by general healthcare, professional, facility, patient-rights, advertising and contract rules rather than one statute promising a particular aesthetic result.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Kazanç Kaybı
Loss of earnings is a claimed financial difference between income that would probably have been earned and income actually received because of the proven injury.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Gelecekteki Tedavi Giderleri
Future medical expenses are reasonably anticipated treatment, rehabilitation, medication or care costs linked to the injury. They must be supported rather than guessed.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Aile Bütünlüğünün Bozulması Zararı
Loss of consortium is a comparative-law expression for harm to close family relationships after severe injury. Turkish claims should be framed under the remedies and standing recognised by Turkish law, not imported labels alone.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Haksız Fiil Sonucu Ölüm
Wrongful death is a general English label for civil consequences when a legally responsible act causes death. Turkish law determines who may claim and which material or moral losses are recoverable.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Ölüm Nedeniyle Manevi Tazminat
Bereavement damages is an English shorthand for non-pecuniary claims connected with a death. Turkish law does not apply a universal fixed bereavement payment to every relative.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Zararı Azaltma Yükümlülüğü
Damage mitigation describes the expectation that a harmed person take reasonable steps to avoid preventable worsening of loss. It does not require unsafe treatment or unlimited personal expense.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Tazminata İşleyen Faiz
Interest on damages concerns an additional monetary consequence over time. The applicable basis, rate and start date depend on the claim, debtor, default rules and current legislation.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Toplu / Dönemsel Ödeme
Lump-sum and periodic payment describe different ways future loss or care may be funded. The available form in a Turkish dispute depends on legal authority, the claim and any settlement structure.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Mesleki Sorumluluk Sigortası
Medical professional liability insurance may respond to covered claims against insured healthcare professionals under the governing policy and compulsory-insurance rules. Coverage is not identical to liability.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: SGK Rücu Hakkı
Social Security Institution recourse concerns circumstances in which SGK may seek recovery of expenditure from a legally responsible party under applicable social-security rules.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Sözleşmeden Doğan Sorumluluk
Contractual liability arises when a binding obligation is not performed as required and the legal conditions for responsibility and loss are met. The contract's content is therefore central.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Haksız Fiilden Doğan Sorumluluk
Tortious liability concerns responsibility for an unlawful act causing damage independently of, or alongside, a contract. Turkish law sets the required elements and defences.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Adam Çalıştıranın Sorumluluğu
Vicarious liability is a comparative label for circumstances in which an employer or organisation may be responsible for acts connected with personnel or organisational duties. Turkish statutory requirements control the result.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Müteselsil Sorumluluk
Joint and several liability can allow a claimant to pursue multiple responsible parties under rules governing the same damage. It does not make every participant responsible automatically.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Kusursuz Sorumluluk
Strict or no-fault liability refers to exceptional legal bases where responsibility does not require proof of ordinary fault in the usual way. It is not a general rule for all Turkish medical outcomes.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Müterafik Kusur
Contributory negligence describes conduct by the injured person alleged to have contributed to the occurrence or extent of damage. It is evaluated in context and does not erase provider duties automatically.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Mücbir Sebep
Force majeure concerns an extraordinary external event alleged to prevent performance or break legal responsibility. Its effect depends on the governing rule, contract and actual impact.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Riskin Bilinerek Kabulü
Assumption of risk is a comparative expression for a person's informed acceptance of a known risk. It is not a blanket waiver of negligent treatment under Turkish law.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Sözleşmenin İhlali
A breach of contract is failure to perform a binding contractual obligation as required. The first task is to identify the obligation, not to assume every unwanted medical result was promised against.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Tıbbi Hizmet Sözleşmesi
A medical service contract records or implies obligations between a patient and provider. Its legal classification depends on the parties, service and actual undertaking; labels such as mandate or work contract are not automatic.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Hasta Hakları Yönetmeliği
The Patient Rights Regulation is an official Turkish framework addressing matters such as access to services, information, consent, privacy, records and complaint mechanisms.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Tedaviyi Reddetme Hakkı
The right to refuse treatment protects a competent patient's decision not to accept or continue an intervention, subject to the applicable legal framework and emergency or other lawful exceptions.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: İkinci Görüş Hakkı
A second opinion is an independent clinical assessment sought to understand diagnosis or treatment options. Patient-rights rules support access to information and choice within the applicable healthcare setting.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Tıbbi Veri Gizliliği
Medical data privacy concerns the lawful and secure processing of identifiable health information. Health data receives special protection under Türkiye's personal-data framework.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Tıbbi Kayıtlara Erişim Hakkı
Patients have important rights concerning access to health information and records under patient-rights and data-protection rules. The precise scope, method and lawful restrictions should be checked in the current official texts.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Hasta Hakları Birimi
Patient-rights units within the Turkish health system receive and process certain patient concerns. They are an institutional complaint channel, not the patient's personal lawyer.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Savunmasız Hasta
A vulnerable patient may face added barriers because of age, disability, capacity, language, dependency or circumstances. The relevant duties depend on the particular barrier and legal context.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Küçük Hastada Onam
Consent for a minor requires attention to legal representation, the child's maturity and participation, the intervention and any urgent exception. A parent's signature is not the entire analysis.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Rıza Ehliyeti
Capacity to consent concerns whether a person can understand, retain, weigh and communicate a decision about the proposed intervention in the relevant circumstances.
Read detailed guide → Glossary TermTurkish: Acil Durumda Onam İstisnası
An emergency exception may permit necessary intervention when valid consent cannot be obtained in time and delay would create serious risk. Its scope is limited by the actual emergency and applicable law.
Read detailed guide →If you believe you are a victim of medical malpractice in Türkiye, contact our legal team today. We offer remote representation for international patients.