abstract:An intervening cause is an event that occurs after a tortfeasor's initial act of negligence and causes injury/harm to a victim. An intervening cause will generally absolve the tortfeasor of liability for the victim's injury only if the event is deemed a superseding cause.
Unfortunately, though health care is changing rapidly, traditional medical education focuses on teaching physicians to function solo, learning the details of diagnosing and intervening, but not so much the complexities of engaging disparate groups of clinicians, including nonphysicians, in common cause.