As you position an adult patient for a skull examination,you begin to position a shadow shield attached to the X-ray tube assembly to protect the patient's thyroid from exposure.While you are doing so,the lead shield falls and hits the patient in the throat.You apologize,and nursing care is administered to the patient.Eventually,the patient's voice changes,and he contends that the accident led to his throat damage.In the court proceedings,his attorney claims negligence and uses the principle of

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Res ipsa loquitur is a legal principle that applies when an injury would not have occurred in the absence of negligence, the injury was caused by an instrumentality exclusively within the control of the defendant, and the injury was not due to any voluntary action or contribution on the part of the plaintiff. In this scenario, the lead shield falling and hitting the patient in the throat would likely not have occurred if appropriate care had been taken to secure the shield, and the shield was within the control of the person positioning it (the defendant). The patient did not contribute to the injury voluntarily. As a result, res ipsa loquitur may be used as evidence of negligence in the court proceedings.

As You Position an Adult Patient for a Skull Examination,you