Patient Care Technician (PCT) AAH Practice Exam

What describes an unwanted attempt to draw blood that is declined?

1. Assault

2. Negligence

3. Battery

4. Malpractice

The correct answer is: Assault

The scenario presented involves an unwanted attempt to draw blood that is declined, which aligns with the concepts of assault in the context of medical care. In legal terms, assault refers to the act of creating an apprehension or fear of unwanted physical contact, even if that contact does not occur. In this situation, if a healthcare professional attempts to draw blood after a patient has explicitly declined, the patient may feel threatened or violated, fitting the definition of assault. Negligence involves failing to take proper care in doing something, which does not apply here since the focus is on the attempt and refusal rather than a lack of care resulting in harm. Battery, on the other hand, involves actual physical contact that occurs without consent, which is not yet the case if the blood draw was attempted but not completed. Malpractice refers to professional misconduct or failure to provide the standard of care that results in harm to a patient, which may not directly apply to the situation of simply trying to perform a procedure after a refusal. Therefore, the correct understanding of the terms and their implications in this context highlights assault as the most relevant description of the situation described.