Which of the following is a characteristic of negligence?

Negligence in healthcare refers to a failure to provide the standard of care that a reasonably competent professional would provide under similar circumstances. This characteristic is rooted in the idea that healthcare providers have a duty to deliver care that meets established standards. When a provider fails to meet these standards and this failure results in harm to a patient, it is recognized as negligence.

Informed consent is a critical aspect of patient care, ensuring that patients understand the risks and benefits of a procedure before agreeing to it, but it does not define negligence itself. Likewise, deliberate harm involves intentionally causing injury, which is classified as a different type of misconduct entirely. Complying with legal standards is the expectation for all healthcare providers and does not relate to the standard of care needed to establish negligence. Thus, the essence of negligence lies in the failure to provide the expected standard of care, making that option the correct characteristic of negligence.