Torts

Tort

legal wrongdoings or civil offenses where a nurses actions or inactions cause harm or injury to a patient

Intentional torts

actions done deliberately to cause harm or invade someones rights

Assualt

threatening a patient with harm or making them fear they’ll be harmed

Battery

physically touching a patient without consent, even in the context of care

False Imprisonment

restricting a patient’s movements without legal justifacation

Defamation

making false statements about a patient or a colleague that could damage their reputation

Invasion of Privacy

disclosing a patient’s private health information without consent, violating HIPAA

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress

engaging in behavior that causes severe emotional distress to a patient

Unintentional Tort

accidental actions that cause harm due to negligence or failure to meet the standard of care

Negligence

failure to provide care that meets accepted standards, leading to patient harm

Malpractice

a specific form of professional negligence where a nurses action or inaction causes direct harm to a patient

Failure to Assess and Monitor

not adequately assess or continuously monitoring a patients condition, which could result in missed symptoms or complications

Failure to Communicate

ineffective communication with other healthcare members, which can lead to treatment errors or delays in care

Medication Errors

administering incorrect medication, dosage, route, time, potentially resulting in serious harm to the patient

Failure to Document

Incomplete or inaccurate documentation of patient care, which can lead to misunderstandings, errors in treatment, and lack of continuity in care