What action represents negligence in clinical care?

Negligence in clinical care is defined by a failure to take proper care in doing something, which can lead to harm or injury to a patient. Following established protocols is crucial in healthcare to ensure patient safety and quality of care. When a healthcare provider fails to adhere to these protocols, it can result in significant negative outcomes, including misdiagnoses, incorrect treatments, or other preventable errors.

In this context, failing to follow established protocols directly undermines the quality and safety of care provided to patients, which is a hallmark of negligence. The established protocols exist for a reason: they are designed to protect patients and ensure that they receive the appropriate standard of care. When clinicians do not follow these guidelines, they may unintentionally expose patients to risks that could have been avoided.

While administering medication without consent may raise ethical concerns and providing healthcare under supervision is typically part of a training process, these options do not directly reflect the established norms surrounding patient care as closely as failing to follow established protocols does. Maintaining patient privacy is essential but is more related to adherence to legal and ethical standards rather than the concept of negligence itself. Hence, the identified action that best represents negligence in clinical care is the failure to follow established protocols.