A patient threatens to harm a coworker; what is the nurse’s obligation regarding confidentiality?

Prepare for the Nursing Ethics and Law Exam. Study with multiple choice questions, each offering hints and explanations. Ace your exam with confidence and understanding.

The main idea being tested is that confidentiality has an important exception: when a patient presents a credible threat to someone else, the nurse has a duty to take steps to prevent harm. In practice, this means balancing patient privacy with safety obligations. When there is a real risk to a coworker, you don’t keep silent. You break confidentiality to warn or protect the potential victim, but you do so within the bounds of the law and policy, and you document why disclosure was necessary. You also inform a supervisor and follow organizational procedures so the action is properly guided, justified, and trackable.

This approach is grounded in the principle of protecting others from harm and is supported by legal and professional standards that allow disclosure to warn or protect a specific individual when there is a credible threat. Documentation matters because it shows the reasoning, the steps taken, and that the decision followed policy. Involving a supervisor ensures that the disclosure aligns with agency rules and local laws and that additional protections or interventions (like safety planning or referral for treatment) can be coordinated.

Other options fall short because they either keep the information completely confidential in a situation where safety is at stake, wait for a formal conviction before acting, or warn the person without any documentation or policy-driven oversight.