Nursing Ethics and Law Practice Exam

Defamation is the act of making false statements about someone that harms their reputation. The core idea is that the statement is untrue, concerns the person, is communicated to others, and leads to damage to their standing or professional reputation. In healthcare, this could involve sharing untrue accusations about a colleague or patient that others rely on, causing harm to trust or career.

Why this is the best match: it directly captures harming someone's reputation through false statements, which is exactly what defamation means. The other options don’t describe that process: confidentiality is about protecting a patient’s private information, not making up false claims; a DNR (do-not-resuscitate) order pertains to resuscitation preferences; and depositions are sworn testimonies gathered for legal proceedings, not the act of harming reputation with lies.