A nurse who plans to administer a PRN sedative to a competent adult who is leaving the hospital, without request, is facing which type of tort?

A nurse who plans to administer a PRN sedative to a competent adult who is leaving the hospital, without request, is facing which type of tort?

• A. Assault
• B. False imprisonment
• C. Negligence
• D. Breach of confidentiality

Answer: (B)

Restraint of a patient’s freedom of movement without their consent or lawful authority is false imprisonment. In this scenario, planning to administer a sedative to a competent adult who wants to leave would impair the patient’s ability to depart, effectively confining them against their will. That focus on restricting liberty distinguishes it from other torts: assault involves causing fear of harm, while battery involves unauthorized contact or treatment, negligence covers care that falls below standard, and breach of confidentiality concerns privacy. If the patient truly has capacity and does not consent, giving a sedative to keep them from leaving appropriates none of those protections and becomes false imprisonment.

Restraint of a patient’s freedom of movement without their consent or lawful authority is false imprisonment. In this scenario, planning to administer a sedative to a competent adult who wants to leave would impair the patient’s ability to depart, effectively confining them against their will. That focus on restricting liberty distinguishes it from other torts: assault involves causing fear of harm, while battery involves unauthorized contact or treatment, negligence covers care that falls below standard, and breach of confidentiality concerns privacy. If the patient truly has capacity and does not consent, giving a sedative to keep them from leaving appropriates none of those protections and becomes false imprisonment.