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Privacy and Confidentiality Practices for Research with Health Information in Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Janet Hagey
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Extract

Health information by its nature is personal and sensitive. At the same time, significant public value has resulted from research with health records about determinants of health and effective provision of health services. In Canada, certain legislation and processes have been established to balance the individual's right to privacy and the public good associated with analysis of health information.

My purpose is to describe privacy and confidentiality practices in Canada with respect to access to health data for research purposes. I provide an overview of the Canadian health care system and the legislative framework used to regulate research related to health information and Canada's major national data bases. Then I describe the confidentiality and privacy policies and procedures of Statistics Canada, of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), and of health policy research organizations in three provinces. I conclude with comments on some current issues in health information in Canada.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 25 , Issue 2-3 , Summer Fall 1997 , pp. 130 - 138
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 1997

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