Which of the following are examples of negligence?

• A. Medication errors
• B. Patient falls
• C. Use of restraints
• D. All of the above

Answer: (D)

Negligence in nursing means failing to provide the standard of care that a reasonably prudent nurse would provide, and that failure results in patient harm. Medication errors can be negligent when a nurse administers the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or fails to verify identity or allergies, leading to harm. Patient falls can be negligence when fall precautions aren’t implemented or supervision is inadequate, and the fall causes injury. Use of restraints can be negligent when restraints are used inappropriately, without proper orders, or without adequate monitoring, resulting in harm or unnecessary restriction.

All of the above fit because each scenario reflects a breach of the expected standard of care that can cause damage to a patient. Note that restraints aren’t automatically negligent—they can be appropriate in certain situations—but negligence occurs if their use violates policy, is unwarranted, or is not properly monitored and leads to harm.