How would the student nurse describe a quasi-intentional tort occurring during the practice of nursing?

• A. It is an act that lacks intent but involves volitional action.
• B. It is a willful act that violates another's rights.
• C. It is a civil wrong made against a person or property.
• D. An unintentional tort involves negligence.

Answer: (A)

Quasi-intentional torts describe actions that are carried out with deliberate, voluntary conduct but without the intent to cause harm. In nursing, this typically covers violations of a patient’s privacy or confidentiality. The nurse performs the act on purpose (volitional action), yet there is no intent to injure the patient; the harm comes from the rights violation rather than from a harmful motive. For example, sharing a patient’s private information with someone not authorized to know it is a breach of confidentiality—the act is intentional in its execution, but the nurse does not intend to harm the patient.

This best fits the scenario because it highlights the distinction from true intentional torts (where there is intent to harm) and from unintentional torts like negligence (where the action is not conducted with a deliberate purpose to violate rights). A broad definition of a tort or labeling the act as negligence wouldn’t capture the nuance of performing a deliberate act that still lacks the intent to harm.