A nurse intentionally makes harmful physical contact with a patient without consent. Which term applies?

A nurse intentionally makes harmful physical contact with a patient without consent. Which term applies?

• A. Battery
• B. Assault
• C. False Imprisonment
• D. Negligence

Answer: (A)

Battery is intentional, harmful or offensive physical contact with another person without their consent. In this scenario, the nurse deliberately causes physical contact with a patient who did not consent, which fits battery because the essential elements—intentional contact and lack of consent—are present. Assault would involve causing someone to fear imminent harmful contact or an attempted gesture to cause harm, even if no contact occurs; since there is actual contact here, assault is not the fitting term, though it can accompany battery in some cases. False imprisonment means restraining a person’s freedom of movement without justification, which isn’t described in this situation. Negligence involves harm resulting from a failure to exercise reasonable care, not intentional harmful contact. So, the term that best matches is battery.

Battery is intentional, harmful or offensive physical contact with another person without their consent. In this scenario, the nurse deliberately causes physical contact with a patient who did not consent, which fits battery because the essential elements—intentional contact and lack of consent—are present.

Assault would involve causing someone to fear imminent harmful contact or an attempted gesture to cause harm, even if no contact occurs; since there is actual contact here, assault is not the fitting term, though it can accompany battery in some cases. False imprisonment means restraining a person’s freedom of movement without justification, which isn’t described in this situation. Negligence involves harm resulting from a failure to exercise reasonable care, not intentional harmful contact.

So, the term that best matches is battery.