National Defence employee accesses someone’s personal health records for her own personal reasons
A complainant alleged that a Canadian Forces (CF) employee, with whom he had a prior personal relationship, inappropriately accessed his personal health information. The investigation found that the employee accessed the complainant’s health information in the Canadian Forces Health Information System (CFHIS) multiple times after receiving an anonymous message about the complainant's health. The employee admitted to accessing and using the information for personal reasons, which was inconsistent with the purpose for its collection. The complaint was found to be well-founded. As a result, National Defence acknowledged the importance of privacy awareness and training, implemented new controls in CFHIS, updated its health service policy, and provided training to CF healthcare staff.
- 1Whether a National Defence employee inappropriately accessed personal health information for personal reasons
- 2Whether the access was inconsistent with the purpose for which the information was collected
- Unauthorized access: Complaint well-founded
- Use for personal reasons: Complaint well-founded
- Privacy awareness: Institution acknowledged importance
- System controls: New controls implemented
- Policy update: Health service policy updated
- Staff training: Training provided to staff
Complaint well-founded — corrective measures taken by institution
The investigation confirmed that a National Defence employee accessed the complainant's health records for personal reasons, which constituted an inappropriate use of personal information. National Defence subsequently implemented corrective measures to address the issue.
National Defence acknowledged the importance of privacy awareness and training, implemented new controls in the Canadian Forces Health Information System (CFHIS) to prevent improper access, updated its Canadian Forces Health Service policy on appropriate use and disclosure of personal health information, and provided training to CF healthcare staff on patient privacy.
This summary is informational only and not legal advice.
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