Giving a Medication the Patient Refused: Battery

Legal & Ethical Issues · Question from the ATI RN Leadership 2023 Proctored Exam study set

Correct answer: Battery

Why this is the answer

Battery is the intentional touching of another person without their consent; in medicine, this includes performing procedures or giving meds against a refusal.

The bigger concept

Battery is intentional physical contact without consent, and in healthcare that includes any treatment given over a refusal — an injection, a procedure, or a medication hidden in food. A competent patient's refusal ends the nurse's authority to give the drug; the nurse documents the refusal, explains the consequences, and notifies the provider. Assault is the threat without the contact; negligence lacks intent. This concept appears twice in the 21-question bank (once phrased as hiding the medication in food); both items have the same answer.

Related Legal & Ethical Issues practice questions

• Written Statement That Ruins a Reputation: Libel vs. Slander
• Unjustified Restraint: False Imprisonment
• Wrong Medication After No ID Check: Negligence
• Disclosing a Diagnosis to Family Without Consent: HIPAA
• Pressure Injury From Failing to Turn a Patient: Malpractice

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