A nurse administers intravenous (IV) therapy to the wrong client. What possible legal complications might the nurse face?

• A. Negligence
• B. Assault
• C. Malpractice
• D. Battery

Answer: (C)

The main idea is professional negligence. When a nurse administers IV therapy to the wrong patient, the nurse has failed to meet the expected standard of care for medication administration. Nurses must confirm a patient’s identity and ensure the correct medication is given to the correct person. This lapse constitutes professional negligence—malpractice—because it involves a licensed professional failing to follow accepted standards, and that failure causes harm or risk of harm to a patient.

Malpractice differs from other torts in this scenario because the act isn’t typically intentional harm or a conscious threat (which would be battery or assault). Those latter actions require intentional wrongdoing, whereas misidentifying a patient and giving treatment to the wrong person is usually an unintentional error that still breaches professional standards.

Consequences of malpractice can include civil lawsuits, disciplinary actions, and potential license issues, reflecting the professional duty to uphold patient safety and standard care.