Which of the following is NOT a required element to prove negligence?

In the context of proving negligence, informed consent is not considered a required element. To establish negligence, a plaintiff must demonstrate the existence of a duty owed to them, a breach of that duty, and a direct causal link between the breach and the resulting injury. These three components—duty, breach, and causation—are fundamental to any negligence claim.

Informed consent, while a critical aspect of medical practice and patient rights, pertains specifically to the obligation of healthcare providers to ensure that patients are fully aware of the risks and benefits of a procedure or treatment before agreeing to it. It is not a prerequisite in the general framework of proving negligence itself. Rather, informed consent relates to the provider's responsibility to the patient, overlapping with, but ultimately distinct from, the specific elements required to establish negligence in a legal setting.