A psychiatric nurse working on an inpatient unit receives a call asking if an individual has been a client in the facility. Which nursing response reflects appropriate legal and ethical obligations?

Question

A psychiatric nurse working on an inpatient unit receives a call asking if an individual has been a client in the facility. Which nursing response reflects appropriate legal and ethical obligations??  
A. Refusing to give any information to the caller, citing rules of confidentiality  
B. Refusing to give any information to the caller by hanging up  
C. Affirming that the person has been seen at the facility but providing no further information  
D. Suggesting that the caller speak to the clients therapist

NursesPath · Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: (A)Refusing to give any information to the caller, citing rules of confidentiality. 
Rationale: The best way to answer the question is Refusing to give any information to the caller, citing rules of confidentiality.A. Refusing to give any information to the caller, citing rules of confidentialityThis matches the stem because The most appropriate action by the nurse is to refuse to give any information to the caller. Admission to the facility would be considered protected health information (PHI) and should not be disclosed by the nurse without prior client consent. Need: Safe and Effective Care Environment The underlying principle in the stem is best addressed by choosing the response that is both specific to the cue provided and consistent with evidence-informed psychiatric nursing practice. From a nursing standpoint, this selection guides assessment and interventions toward what is most clinically meaningful in the moment—risk reduction, safety, accurate appraisal, and support for adaptive coping.B. Refusing to give any information to the caller by hanging upThis could seem tempting if the idea in “Refusing to give any information to the caller by hanging up” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.C. Affirming that the person has been seen at the facility but providing no further informationThis could seem tempting if the idea in “Affirming that the person has been seen at the facility but providing no further information” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.D. Suggesting that the caller speak to the clients therapistThis sounds reasonable when the idea in “Suggesting that the caller speak to the clients therapist” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.ConclusionWhat separates the best choice from the rest is specificity: the correct option addresses the exact mechanism, stage, or principle described. The other answers relate to nearby ideas, yet they miss the question’s focal point or misapply the concept to the situation.

A psychiatric nurse working on an inpatient unit receives a call asking if an individual has been a client in the facility. Which nursing response reflects appropriate legal and ethical obligations?

A Refusing to give any information to the caller, citing rules of confidentiality B Refusing to give any information to the caller by hanging up C Affirming that the person has been seen at the facility but providing no further information D Suggesting that the caller speak to the clients therapist

The best way to answer the question is Refusing to give any information to the caller, citing rules of confidentiality.

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