Tarasoff duties require clinicians to warn which group if a patient poses a risk?

Tarasoff duties require clinicians to warn which group if a patient poses a risk?

• A. The police
• B. The hospital
• C. Potential victims
• D. The patient

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is the Tarasoff duty: when a patient poses a credible threat of violence, a clinician must take steps to warn those who could be harmed and to take protective actions. The group that must be warned are the potential victims—people who could be harmed by the patient. This duty isn’t about informing the police or the hospital as the primary obligation, and it isn’t about warning the patient themselves, who is the source of the risk. The core purpose is to reduce the risk to identifiable individuals who could be harmed, balancing patient confidentiality with public safety.

The key idea here is the Tarasoff duty: when a patient poses a credible threat of violence, a clinician must take steps to warn those who could be harmed and to take protective actions. The group that must be warned are the potential victims—people who could be harmed by the patient.

This duty isn’t about informing the police or the hospital as the primary obligation, and it isn’t about warning the patient themselves, who is the source of the risk. The core purpose is to reduce the risk to identifiable individuals who could be harmed, balancing patient confidentiality with public safety.