Explain negligence.

• A. The omission to do something that a reasonable person, guided by the considerations that ordinarily regulate human affairs, would do—or as doing something that a reasonable and prudent person would not do.
• B. Unintentional professional negligence is another way of saying malpractice
• C. An action taken in a professional context that causes no harm
• D. The absence of any duty of care in professional relationships

Answer: (A)

Negligence means failing to exercise reasonable care in a given situation. In a professional setting, it occurs when someone who owes a duty of care—such as a nurse to a patient—breaches the standard of care by either doing something a reasonably prudent person would not do or by failing to do something a reasonably prudent person would do. If that breach leads to patient harm, the conduct is considered negligent.

This description captures the essential idea: deviation from what a typical, prudent professional would do in caring for a patient, through either action or inaction, and the harm that results from that deviation. In nursing terms, it’s about not meeting the expected standard of care and causing injury or damage as a consequence.

Why the other statements don’t fit as well: saying negligence is simply unintentional professional negligence equates it with malpractice and doesn’t emphasize the standard-of-care element or the role of action vs. inaction; claiming an action in a professional context causes no harm fails to meet the harm/damages requirement; and claiming there is an absence of any duty of care ignores that professionals do owe a duty of care to those they serve.