The Hippocratic Oath states, "what [a healthcare professional] may see or hear in the course of treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of [patients]...[they] will keep to [themselves]." This seems to be an obligation not only of those who are called to take the oath as a matter of course, but also of "all" healthcare professionals.

On the other hand, there are legal cases that have raised troubling worries here, such as Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, from your readings. In this case a patient confided to his therapist that he intended to kill a third party, leaving the therapist faced with the choice of preserving his confidentiality or not by warning the patient's intended victim.

Another example might occur if a patient confides to his or her doctor that he or she has a sexually transmitted disease and that he or she is sexual active with the intent of putting others at risk.

Complete the Practice Activity found on the Unit 2 Learning Activity page for Unit 2 for additional help with this material before posting your initial answer.

In these cases, how do you balance the need for confidentiality and the ethical values of not doing any harm? What ethical principles are involved in this decision? How might various ethical theories from unit one approach this dilemma?