Duty to Warn

Confidentiality plays a critical role in patient care; however, there may be special circumstances where confidentiality must be breached in order to not only ensure the safety of the patient but also to protect third parties. This concept of ‘duty to warn’ stems from California Supreme Court case of Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California that took place in the 1970s and comprised of two rulings known as the Tarasoff I (1974) and Tarasoff II (1976).