Which of the following is a common ground for discipline related to patient safety?

• A. Negligence.
• B. Stellar patient reviews.
• C. Punctual appointment scheduling.
• D. High patient volume.

Answer: (A)

Negligence is the key idea here because patient safety rests on meeting the professional standard of care. The standard of care is what a reasonably competent practitioner would do in similar circumstances. When someone fails to meet that standard and that failure puts a patient at risk or causes harm, it’s negligence. Disciplinary bodies routinely cite negligence as a ground for sanction because it shows a breach of the duties that protect patient safety.

The other options relate to service aspects like patient feedback, scheduling efficiency, or volume. While these can impact overall care quality, they do not by themselves demonstrate a failure to meet the professional standard or a risk of harm, so they aren’t considered grounds for discipline in the same way negligence is.