Final answer:
Administering an antibiotic medication to a competent client after refusal is considered battery, as it is intentional physical contact without the patient's consent.
Therefore, correct answer is option D.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a nurse administers an antibiotic medication to a competent client after the client has refused it, the correct answer is D) Battery. In legal terms, battery is the intentional and wrongful physical contact with a person without their consent. Administering medication against a patient's will constitutes such contact and is therefore considered battery. In healthcare, it is crucial to respect a patient's autonomy and their right to informed consent. Ignoring a patient's decision and proceeding with an intervention like administering medication can expose a healthcare professional to legal action for committing a tort.
Battery is defined as the intentional and unauthorized harmful or offensive physical contact with another person without their consent.
In this case, the nurse is performing an action (administering the medication) that the client has explicitly refused. This action constitutes Battery because it involves physical contact (the administration of medication) without the client's consent.