Which action establishes a legal nurse-patient relationship that implies a duty to continue care?

• A. Signing a consent
• B. Completing medical records
• C. Establishing a nurse-patient relationship
• D. Referring physician

Answer: (C)

The action of establishing a nurse-patient relationship creates the duty to provide ongoing care. When a nurse begins to assess, plan, and deliver care to a patient, a professional relationship is formed that carries an obligation to continue caring for that patient and to avoid abandoning them. This duty includes monitoring, adjusting treatment as needed, and ensuring a safe handoff if care needs to transition to another provider.

Signing a consent is about permission for a specific procedure, not about ongoing care. Completing medical records is part of documentation and record-keeping, but it doesn’t by itself establish an ongoing care relationship. Referring a physician transfers care to another provider, which may end the nurse’s direct responsibility for that patient in the current episode, but it does not by itself create the continuous duty to care with the patient.