Negligence is defined as the absence of due care and failing to act as a prudent person would.

• A. Malpractice
• B. Battery
• C. Defamation
• D. Absence of due care

Answer: (D)

Negligence centers on failing to exercise the reasonable care that a prudent person would in similar circumstances. The statement given matches this idea directly: not acting with the level of care expected and, as a result, causing harm. In nursing, this ties to not meeting the standard of care that a reasonably careful practitioner would provide, which, if it leads to injury, constitutes negligence.

The other terms describe different concepts. Malpractice refers specifically to professional negligence by a licensed clinician, which is related but denotes a breach within the professional standard of care. The definition here is broader and describes negligence in general, not limited to professional contexts. Battery involves intentional harmful contact or invasion of a person’s bodily autonomy, which is about intent, not a failure to exercise reasonable care. Defamation involves false statements that harm someone’s reputation, a separate tort focused on communication and harm to reputation, not on care or actions in patient treatment.