Question

A client who takes warfarin is given aspirin for a headache while visiting a neighbor, who is a nurse. The client subsequently has a bleeding episode caused by interaction of these drugs. The legal nurse consultant interprets which necessary elements of malpractice are missing from this case? Select all that apply.

1.Breach of duty
2.Duty owed
3.Injury experienced
4.Causation between nurse's action and injury
5.Intent to cause harm or injury

Answer 1

The necessary elements of malpractice that are missing from this case are breach of duty, duty owed, and intent to cause harm or injury.

Step-by-step explanation:

The legal nurse consultant would interpret that in this case, the necessary elements of malpractice that are missing are:

1. Breach of duty - The nurse did not owe a duty to the client since the nurse was not directly responsible for their care in this situation.
2. Duty owed - The nurse did not have a duty to provide medical care to the client, as they were simply administering aspirin for a headache.
3. Intent to cause harm or injury - There was no intent on the part of the nurse to cause harm or injury to the client; it was an unfortunate interaction between the medications that led to the bleeding episode.