What action may the duty to warn (Tarasoff) require a nurse to take if a patient threatens a specific individual?

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When a patient poses a credible, specific threat to a named or identifiable individual, the professional has a duty to protect that potential victim. The nurse should assess how real and imminent the danger is, and then take actions to reduce the risk while balancing the patient’s right to confidentiality with public safety.

The best course is to involve appropriate protective steps: warn the potential victim or notify authorities as needed, and document the assessment, decisions, and actions taken. Consulting with a supervisor, risk management, or legal counsel is also prudent to ensure the response is appropriate and lawful. This approach aligns with acting to prevent harm rather than keeping the information confidential without any action, or taking only broad public-health reporting without a specific threat, or terminating care without addressing safety concerns.

In practice, you would not simply maintain secrecy; you would not disclose all patient details to public health without a threat, and you would not default to ending therapy without addressing the imminent danger through protective measures and proper documentation.