During a confidential conversation, a patient discloses something that suggests they may pose a real risk to a specific third party. How do you think through what to do?
Your answer
That's a tough one. I think confidentiality is really important so I'd probably try to keep it private if I could. But if someone was actually in danger I guess you'd have to tell someone, like maybe a supervisor or the police. It would depend on how serious it sounded. I'd want to help the patient too, not just report them.
Overall score
1.0 / 5Breakdown
The at-risk third party is mentioned only implicitly ("someone was actually in danger") — never named or engaged with directly.
"Confidentiality is really important" gestures at a principle without naming what it's actually competing against.
"That's a tough one" acknowledges difficulty informally but never actually grapples with why it's hard — there's no real weighing of either side.
"It would depend on how serious it sounded" is a hedge, not a defensible position — the answer never actually lands anywhere.
Notes on your answer
“It would depend on how serious it sounded”
This needs a real threshold — what specifically would tip you from keeping this confidential to breaking confidentiality? Naming it is the actual answer to this question.
“I'd want to help the patient too, not just report them”
A good instinct, but it's not developed — how would you balance that with the duty to the third party you mentioned?
“That's a tough one”
The answer needs a lot more depth and nuance overall — right now it stays at the level of a first reaction rather than actually working through the competing duties, naming a real threshold, and defending a specific conclusion.