In clinical practice, which statement describes the duty to warn or protect?

• A. Notify threatened individuals or authorities when a patient poses a serious risk.
• B. Maintain patient confidentiality at all times.
• C. Ignore risk when it seems unlikely.
• D. Only inform the patient's family.

Answer: (B)

When a patient poses a credible, serious risk of violence to identifiable individuals, clinicians have a duty to take steps to prevent harm. This duty to warn or protect means you may need to notify the potential victim or authorities to intervene, overriding confidentiality in this specific, high-risk context. The idea that confidentiality must be maintained at all times isn’t accurate because protecting people from foreseeable harm justifies disclosure in limited, appropriate ways and varies by jurisdiction.

Ignoring risk or acting only to inform the patient’s family does not fulfill this obligation. The goal is to protect those who may be harmed, which often requires notifying the relevant individuals or authorities when a real threat is present.