Questions: A charge of assault may result if a patient is: a. verbally threatened. b. slapped. c. allowed to fall. d. all of these are correct.

The answer is a. verbally threatened.

Assault in legal terms often refers to an act that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent, harmful, or offensive contact. Verbal threats can constitute assault if they cause the victim to fear that they are about to be physically harmed.

Slapping a patient would typically be considered battery rather than assault. Battery involves actual physical contact or harm, whereas assault is about the threat or fear of harm.

Allowing a patient to fall might be considered negligence or malpractice, but it does not fit the legal definition of assault, which involves the threat of harm rather than an omission or failure to act.

This option is incorrect because not all the scenarios listed fit the legal definition of assault. Only the act of verbally threatening a patient aligns with the definition of assault.