NCLEX-RNManagement of CareHard
A nurse fails to check a client's chart before administering medication and does not notice a documented allergy to penicillin. The nurse administers penicillin, and the client develops anaphylaxis requiring emergency intervention. Which statement identifies why this situation meets the legal criteria for malpractice?
- AThe client experienced an adverse reaction, which automatically constitutes malpractice regardless of the cause
- BThe nurse had a duty of care, breached that duty by not checking the allergy, and the breach directly caused client harm
- CThe physician who prescribed the medication is solely liable, not the nurse who administered it
- DMalpractice only applies when there is intent to harm the client, which is not present in this scenario
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The nurse had a duty of care, breached that duty by not checking the allergy, and the breach directly caused client harm
Malpractice requires four elements: duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages. The nurse had a duty to verify allergies before administration, breached that duty by failing to check, and this breach directly caused the client's anaphylactic reaction (damages) — meeting all four legal criteria.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. An adverse outcome alone does not constitute malpractice without proof of breach and causation.
- C. The administering nurse has an independent duty to verify allergies regardless of the prescriber's order.
- D. Malpractice does not require intent; it is based on negligence, not intentional harm.
Elements of Malpractice
Malpractice (professional negligence) requires proof of four elements: duty of care, breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to harm, and actual damages suffered by the client.
- Duty: nurse's professional obligation to the client
- Breach: failure to meet the standard of care
- Causation: breach directly caused the injury
- Damages: actual harm resulted
Memory trick: Duty, Breach, Cause, Damage — the 4 D's of malpractice.