An adolescent hospitalized after a violent physical outburst tells the nurse, "I'm going to kill my father, but you can't tell anyone." Select the nurse's best response.

A) "You are right. Federal law requires me to keep clinical information private."
B) "I am obligated to share that information with the treatment team."
C) "Those kinds of thoughts will make your hospitalization longer."
D) "You should share this thought with your psychiatrist."

Question

O'connel Baird · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : B, Explanation :  Breach of nurse-patient confidentiality does not pose a legal dilemma for nurses in these circumstances because a team approach to delivery of psychiatric care presumes communication of patient information to other staff members to develop treatment plans and outcome criteria. The patient should also know that the team has a duty to warn the father of the risk for harm.

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