Medical malpractice lawsuits are an inherent part of the medical field. Doctors and other medical personnel know that on any given day they could be served with a medical malpractice lawsuit. There are many different reasons why medical malpractice lawsuits are files. In March of 2003, Dr. R.J. Roberts, University of Wisconsin Medical School researched these lawsuits and in his article Family Practice Management he identified seven of the top reasons for medical malpractice lawsuits. Cancer: Misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose or delay in diagnosis of cancer in patients. Breast cancer is the most misdiagnosed cancer. Birth injury or negligent maternity care: the most prevalent in this case being over use of oxytocin. Misdiagnosis of fractures and trauma: diagnosing a fracture or other severe trauma as merely a sprain without follow-up testing to prove otherwise. Delay in diagnosis or failure to consult in a timely manner: Medication; Errors; Surgical Errors. Failure to obtain informed consent: The patient must understand what they are consenting to. These seven medical malpractice lawsuit reasons are all preventable. Doctors and physicians should use this listing as a guideline for avoiding malpractice litigation.