Which statement best describes breach of duty?

• A. Harm that occurs when care falls short
• B. Care that should have been provided but wasn't
• C. Foreseeability of harm
• D. Documentation of patient consent

Answer: (B)

Breach of duty happens when a nurse fails to meet the standard of care by not providing care that should be provided in a given situation. That gap between what is expected and what actually occurs is the breach. In a negligence framework, the four elements are duty, breach, causation, and damages—the breach is the deviation from accepted practice that may lead to harm if it causes injury or deterioration.

So, the statement that best describes breach of duty is the one that identifies the failure to deliver care that should have been provided. The other ideas relate to consequences (harm that results from inadequate care), the foreseeability of harm (which speaks to negligence but not the breach itself), and informed consent documentation (which is a separate process and not about breaching the standard of care).