Adult Health Nursing Answer Key Related

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A nurse fails to irrigate a feeding tube as ordered, resulting in harm to the patient. This nurse could be found guilty of:

  • A. malpractice
  • B. Negligence
  • C. Harm to the patient
  • D. Failure to follow the nurse practice act
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Negligence refers to the failure to perform a duty of care that a reasonable person would have exercised in the same situation, resulting in harm or injury to another person. In this scenario, the nurse failed to perform an ordered irrigation of a feeding tube, which is a standard nursing duty. This failure to act according to the orders resulted in harm to the patient, indicating negligence on the part of the nurse. Malpractice is a specific type of negligence that occurs when a professional fails to provide the standard level of care, so in this case, it falls under the broader category of negligence. Harm to the patient is the consequence of the nurse's negligence, and failure to follow the nurse practice act may be a contributing factor to the negligence, but the primary issue is the failure to provide proper care - which is negligence.