A patient is admitted to an orthopedic ward with a plaster cast applied to his lower limb. The patient experiences decreased sensation and cold feeling in the toes of the affected leg. The nurse in charge forgets to assess frequently and document his condition in the nurse's notes because one of the patients in that ward experienced a cardiac arrest during her shift. The nurse fails to carry out the assigned work. This act of the nurse can best be described as:

Appeared in: UPUMS Nsg officer-2023

Explanation

Malpractice is a specific type of negligence that applies to professionals, such as nurses, who fail to provide care according to the established standards of their profession.
The nurse had a clear professional duty to monitor the neurovascular status of the patient's limb, which was enclosed in a plaster cast.
By failing to perform these crucial assessments, the nurse breached her duty of care. The fact that she was busy with another emergency does not legally absolve her of this responsibility.
This omission, or failure to act, falls below the accepted standard of nursing practice and is correctly identified as malpractice.

Option A: Assault is an intentional tort involving a threat that creates a reasonable fear of harmful or offensive contact. The nurse's action was an omission (failure to act), not a threat.
Option B: Invasion of privacy is a quasi-intentional tort that involves violating a patient's right to confidentiality, such as sharing their medical information without consent. The scenario does not involve any breach of confidentiality.
Option D: Battery is an intentional tort involving actual offensive or harmful touching without consent. The nurse's failure was an act of omission, not an act of commission like unwanted touching.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Prioritize focused assessment, early escalation, and real-time monitoring when managing Professional Negligence and Nursing Malpractice in acute care settings.
Frequent neurovascular assessment (checking for the '5 Ps': Pain, Pallor, Pulselessness, Paresthesia, and Paralysis/Paresis) is a critical and non-negotiable nursing responsibility for any patient with a cast or constrictive dressing.
Failure to perform these checks can lead to a missed diagnosis of compartment syndrome, a medical emergency that can cause permanent nerve damage, muscle death (rhabdomyolysis), and even limb amputation if not treated promptly.
Even in a high-stress environment with competing priorities, systems must be in place for safe handoffs or delegation to ensure all patients receive essential monitoring. Patient safety is paramount.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the core action described in the question stem. Here, the nurse failed to perform a required duty (an act of omission).
Next, consider the context of the action. The failure occurred within a professional nurse-patient relationship and violated an established standard of care (monitoring a casted limb).
Recall the legal definitions of the terms in the options. Differentiate between intentional torts (Assault, Battery), quasi-intentional torts (Invasion of Privacy), and unintentional torts (Negligence/Malpractice).
Apply the definitions to the scenario. The nurse's failure was not an intentional threat (Assault), unwanted touching (Battery), or a breach of confidentiality (Invasion of Privacy).
Conclude that the act was a failure to meet the professional standard of care, which is the definition of malpractice.
Select the option that best fits this conclusion.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Professional Negligence and Nursing Malpractice
Stem keywords: plaster cast, decreased sensation, cold feeling, forgets to assess, fails to carry out assigned work
Lead-in keywords: best be described as
Clinical cues: "Decreased sensation and cold feeling in the toes" is a significant clinical cue. It points towards neurovascular compromise, a potential complication of a plaster cast, which requires immediate assessment and intervention to prevent permanent damage.

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E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 2 p. 101-103

E6 Nursing_Management_and_leadership_Johny_Kutty_JosephCbs_Publishers (pp 16-364 of 374) p. 334-336

Practise the full UPUMS Nsg officer-2023

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.