Torts I

Torts are any wrongful acts that harm a patient, which may lead to civil liability for the nurse.

Torts can range from unintentional to intentional acts. If the nurse is found liable, they may be subject to financial penalties or disciplinary actions.

The three types of torts in nursing include intentional, quasi-intentional, and unintentional.

Intentional torts in nursing are deliberate and intentional acts or omissions that result in harm or injury to a patient.  These actions can give rise to civil liability for damages, such as battery, assault, and false imprisonment.

Quasi-intentional torts in nursing refer to a nurse's unintentional action or omission that harms or damages another person, such as a patient. Examples of quasi-torts in nursing may include invasion of privacy.

An unintentional tort includes acts of commission, where a nurse does something that a reasonable nurse would avoid, and acts of omission, where a nurse fails to do something that a reasonable nurse would perform. An example is negligence