Which term best fits a situation where a procedure is performed without consent, resulting in harm?

• A. Privacy violation
• B. Assault
• C. Battery
• D. Breach of duty

Answer: (C)

Non-consensual touching that causes harm is described as battery. In healthcare, obtaining informed consent before any procedure is a fundamental obligation. If a practitioner performs a procedure without valid consent, it involves unwanted, intentional contact with the patient’s body, which is legally recognized as battery. The harm that results reinforces the seriousness of the act and can lead to civil liability.

To distinguish, assault refers to causing fear or anticipation of imminent harmful contact without actual touching, whereas privacy violation concerns unauthorized disclosure of information. Breach of duty is about failing to meet the expected standard of care, which can underlie a battery claim but doesn’t by itself define the act of performing a procedure without consent.