Dr. Emil’s patient, Beth, revealed today that she wants to kill her boss. Beth said that she intends to leave Dr. Emil’s office, pick up her gun from the gun cabinet at her father’s house, and then confront her boss in the parking lot at work after he returns from vacation next week. (Her boss is currently in Europe with his wife.) Beth believes that her boss is the cause of all her pain and her life would greatly improve if her boss were dead. What should Dr. Emil do?
Explanation
Answer: D - Dr. Emil has a duty to warn Beth’s boss. While Beth has the right to confidentiality, in most states when another person’s life is threatened, the provider is allow to breech confidentiality in order to keep other people safe. In this case, Dr. Emil would be acting to keep Beth’s boss safe. Dr. Emil should warn Beth’s boss when he returns to the United States if Beth’s plan remains unchanged.
In most states, Dr. Emil does have a duty to warn Beth’s boss to keep him safe if there is an imminent threat. Because Beth’s boss is currently in Europe, there is no imminent threat, thus it is not necessary to contact the boss in Europe. Dr. Emil knows that he has a week before the boss returns to the United States, which allows for time for other interventions that would not breech Beth’s confidentiality. For example, Dr. Emil may be able to admit Beth to the hospital for intense treatment.
