A patient diagnosed with mental illness asks a psychiatric technician, "What's the matter with me?" The technician replies, "Your wing nuts need tightening." The nurse who overheard the exchange should take action based on:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Patients have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Patients should never be made the butt of jokes about their illness. Patient emotional abuse has been demonstrated, not negligence. The technician's response was not clearly defamation. Patient abuse, not supervisory liability, is the issue.

A Patient Diagnosed with Mental Illness Asks a Psychiatric Technician