Read the following 10 scenarios and questions and choose the most appropriate responses. The program will provide you with the correct response and an explanation for each question.

On completion of all 10 scenarios, please complete the registration information form and then click FINISH to get you to the page that will allow you to print, review, and sign the Privacy and Confidentiality Agreement.

Scenarios

1. The police call your unit requesting information about a patient. They describe the injuries that an individual may have sustained, but they do not have the person’s name or physical description. The nursing staff is aware of an individual that is consistent with this police description.
   
   Can you release the name of the patient?
   
   
   1. Yes - It is unlawful to obstruct a criminal investigation.
   2. No - Names of patients cannot be released without their consent or a police warrant.

   
   
2. A physician enters an elderly patient's room to talk about some sensitive information regarding her diagnosis and possible treatments. The patient has several visitors.
   
   What should you do?
   
   
   1. Ask the visitors to leave the room momentarily, then, ask the patient whether they wish the visitors to be present to discuss the information.
   2. Proceed with the conversation. They are probably family members and they can be important to her recovery.
      
      
3. The son of a capable, 60-year-old, female patient asks to see the health record of his mother.
   
   Is he allowed to view the record?
   
   
   1. The son is not allowed to see his mother’s record without her written consent.
   2. He should see the record. The son is a primary relative who has his mother’s best interest at heart.
   
   
4. Occupational Health occasionally conducts "testing blitzes". During the 'Hearing Week' blitz, an employee asks: "How bad is Joe's hearing? He seems to have a lot of difficulty hearing when we work together. I have to repeat myself or even shout at him. I'm really concerned."
   
   What is your response?
   
   
   1. "I agree, Joe's hearing is poor".
   2. "I can't discuss a patient's results without their consent".
      
      
5. You look up your patient's test results in the electronic patient record. When you sit at the computer, you notice that your coworker - Matt - is already signed in as a user and has left the terminal.
   
   What do you do?
   
   
   1. Use Matt's electronic account to check your patient's test results - He won't mind and it will only take a minute.
   2. Ask Matt if he is done with the computer and could he log off. Or, if he's not present in the area, log him off but then tell him later that he did not log off.
      
      
6. A patient has the right to control the collection, use and/or disclosure of his or her own personal information, unless the collection, use and/or disclosure is required or permitted by law.
   
   
   1. True
   2. False
      
   
   
7. You are standing in line in the hospital cafeteria and two staff members are discussing a patient they are caring for on their unit. They call the patient by name and discuss the diagnosis and the gravity of the patient's prognosis.
   
   How do you react?
   
   
   1. Do nothing. Health care providers are stressed for time. They need to leverage whatever time they have to provide the best care for their patients.
   2. Remind staff that they cannot discuss confidential information in public areas.
   
   
   
8. As a health care professional, I have access to electronic patient records. I can access any record I want so long as I keep the information confidential.
   
   
   1. True
   2. False
      
      
9. A staff member is suddenly admitted for emergency treatment. The next day you take a call from a family member who informs you that the coworker will not be in for a while, due to an unspecified illness.
   
   As a colleague, you are very concerned about his condition. You decide to access your coworker’s electronic patient record to determine the cause.
   
   Choose the best description for your behaviour:
   
   
   1. You have the right to access the coworker's electronic patient record (EPR) because you have access to the EPR system.
   2. You breached the patient's right to privacy and confidentiality.
      
      
10. A physician dictates a letter to the Ministry of Transportation to advise that a patient cannot drive a vehicle for a certain length of time because of a medical condition. In the letter he supplies the patient's name, date of birth, and address. No consent is obtained to release this information.
    
    Is this a breach of the patient’s confidentiality?
    
    
    1. Yes
    2. No