A charge nurse discovers that a nurse did not notify the provider that a client's condition had changed. The charge nurse should identify that the nurse is accountable for which of the following torts?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Negligence. Negligence in nursing occurs when a healthcare provider fails to take appropriate action that a reasonably prudent provider would take in a similar situation, such as not notifying the provider of changes in a client's condition. In this scenario, the nurse's failure to inform the provider of the client's changed condition constitutes negligence. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. Assault involves the intentional threat of bodily harm to another person, battery is the intentional harmful or offensive touching of another person without their consent, and defamation is the act of making false statements about someone to a third party that harms that person's reputation.