Imagine you are a physician. You tell your patient she has tested positive for HIV and that she should tell her spouse, who could become infected through sexual intercourse. She says she will not disclose her HIV status to anyone. You consider whether you ought to reveal this information to her spouse, and so are balancing your duty to confidentiality against a duty

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The duty to warn arises in situations where there is a foreseeable risk of harm to an identifiable individual (in this case, the spouse), which outweighs the duty to confidentiality. This principle is applied in cases where disclosing confidential information could prevent harm to a third party.

Imagine You Are a Physician