What term refers to unlawfully touching a patient or providing emergency care without their consent?

The term that refers to unlawfully touching a patient or providing emergency care without their consent is battery. In legal terms, battery involves the actual physical contact with someone without their consent, which can include situations like touching a patient during treatment when they have not agreed to that care.

It’s important to differentiate battery from other related concepts. While assault refers to the threat or attempt to cause bodily harm that causes fear of such harm in another person, battery is specifically the act of physically contacting someone unlawfully. This makes battery distinct, as the essential element is that unlawful touching must occur.

Negligence involves a failure to take proper care in doing something, leading to damage or injury to another person, and malpractice typically refers to professional negligence by a healthcare provider. Both terms relate to acts of omission or failure to act properly, rather than the unlawful physical interaction indicated in battery. Therefore, battery accurately describes the unlawful touching aspect of providing emergency care without consent.