What are the four key elements of malpractice?

• A. Duty, Breach, Harm, Proximate cause
• B. Duty, Breach, Harm, Causation
• C. Duty, Breach, Harm, Proximate causation
• D. Breach, Duty, Harm, Proximate cause

Answer: (A)

The main idea tested is negligence in which four elements must be shown: a duty to the patient, a breach of that duty, harm to the patient, and a legally valid link between the breach and the harm. The best answer uses duty, breach, harm, and proximate cause because it emphasizes the necessary causal connection that makes the breach legally responsible for the injury. Proximate cause evaluates whether the harm was a foreseeable result of the nurse’s breach and whether that breach is the appropriate legal cause of the damage. Harm reflects the damages or injury the patient suffered, which must exist for negligence to be established. Without duty, there is no obligation to meet; without breach, there is no deviation from the standard of care; without harm, there are no damages to compensate; without a proximate causal link, the breach may not be legally connected to the harm. Other options either swap terms or omit the precise causal link, which is why this choice is the most accurate formulation.