Battery is defined as which of the following?

• A. Unlawful touching of another person without consent
• B. Assault
• C. Defamation
• D. False imprisonment

Answer: (A)

Battery is the intentional touching of another person in a harmful or offensive way without their consent. In nursing practice, this means performing a procedure or making contact without the patient’s explicit or implied consent can be considered battery, even if the action is beneficial, because the essential element is the lack of consent and the intent to touch. It’s different from assault, which involves the threat or attempt to inflict harmful contact rather than actual contact. Defamation involves false statements harming someone’s reputation, and false imprisonment is the unlawful restriction of a person’s freedom of movement. Always obtain and respect consent, and recognize that emergencies may involve implied consent, but otherwise touching without consent is battery.