Final answer:
The nurse has committed the tort of battery by resuscitating a client who had expressed wishes not to be resuscitated, as it involves unauthorized physical contact against the patient's wishes.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a nurse resuscitates a client who had previously expressed wishes not to be resuscitated, the tort committed is likely battery. Battery in the medical setting is defined as the unauthorized touching or treatment of a patient's body. This means that any medical treatment or physical intervention against a patient's will, or without their consent, can be considered battery. Even if the intervention is well-intentioned, such as resuscitation, it is essential that healthcare professionals adhere to patients' wishes and legal directives, such as a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.
In this case, since the client expressed a wish not to be resuscitated, and the nurse went against these wishes by performing resuscitation, the nurse may have violated the patient's autonomy and legal rights. This action can be seen as a deliberate and unauthorized physical contact, which qualifies as battery under the law. It is different from assault, which is an act that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent, harmful, or offensive contact. It is also distinct from negligence, which implies a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances. Moreover, it is not slander, which is a spoken form of defamation.