There have been a lot of confusion about patients’ access rights to health information and health records. Health records and health information is always owned by the health facility that produces the health data and health information (Hospital Act). However, the patient data belongs to patient and to access it, a patient needs to provide consent to the health facility to produce a copy of it for patient’s records.
Here are several documents that used for this purpose:
- College of Physician and Surgeons of BC: Standards and Guidelines
(Source: https://cpsbc.ca/for-physicians/standards-guidelines) - BC Privacy Act
- Canada’s Constitution Act on Privacy: Patient Privacy is protected under the section 7 and 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Life, liberty and security of person 7. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. Marginal note:Search or seizure 8. Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure. (source: CONSTITUTION ACT, 1982)