An MA drops an instrument on the floor while setting up a sterile tray. After the procedure, a patient calls with concerns about infection. Which tort has the MA committed?

An MA drops an instrument on the floor while setting up a sterile tray. After the procedure, a patient calls with concerns about infection. Which tort has the MA committed?

• A. Abandonment
• B. Negligence
• C. Battery
• D. Defamation

Answer: (B)

The tort committed by the medical assistant in this scenario is negligence. Negligence occurs when a healthcare provider fails to exercise the level of care that a reasonably competent provider would have under similar circumstances, leading to harm or the potential for harm to a patient. In this situation, the medical assistant's action of dropping a sterile instrument can compromise the sterility of the tray. When the tray is not properly maintained in a sterile state, it increases the risk of infection during procedures. If the patient later experiences an infection, the MA's failure to ensure the instrument's sterility could be seen as a breach of the standard of care expected in a medical setting. The other options, while valid torts, do not apply to this scenario. Abandonment would relate to a healthcare provider leaving a patient without adequate care, battery involves unauthorized physical contact with a patient, and defamation pertains to making false statements that harm someone's reputation. None of these concepts are relevant to the situation where an instrument's sterility has been compromised, leading to a potential infection concern.

The tort committed by the medical assistant in this scenario is negligence. Negligence occurs when a healthcare provider fails to exercise the level of care that a reasonably competent provider would have under similar circumstances, leading to harm or the potential for harm to a patient.

In this situation, the medical assistant's action of dropping a sterile instrument can compromise the sterility of the tray. When the tray is not properly maintained in a sterile state, it increases the risk of infection during procedures. If the patient later experiences an infection, the MA's failure to ensure the instrument's sterility could be seen as a breach of the standard of care expected in a medical setting.

The other options, while valid torts, do not apply to this scenario. Abandonment would relate to a healthcare provider leaving a patient without adequate care, battery involves unauthorized physical contact with a patient, and defamation pertains to making false statements that harm someone's reputation. None of these concepts are relevant to the situation where an instrument's sterility has been compromised, leading to a potential infection concern.