The healthcare employee has the legal obligation to immediately report suspected abuse of a patient to the:

• A. Supervisor
• B. Patient's Family
• C. Attorney General
• D. Human Resources

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that healthcare workers have a legal duty to initiate the reporting process for suspected patient abuse by notifying the person in charge at the facility. The supervisor is that immediate point of contact because they oversee patient safety, ensure the report is documented, and coordinate with the appropriate authorities in line with policy and law. This pathway safeguards the patient, preserves evidence, and ensures the report goes to the correct agency (such as protective services or law enforcement) without delay.

Telling the patient’s family is inappropriate because it breaches confidentiality and could compromise the investigation. The Attorney General is not the first channel for a single suspected case; local authorities or protective services typically handle these reports, following the facility’s mandated reporting procedures. Human Resources deals with employment issues rather than directing patient abuse reports to the proper external entities.