The records of several patients of the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region were accessed by an employee who was not involved in their care, resulting in a privacy breach.
The health region said they learned of the breach in September and conducted an investigation into the matter, which included an audit of electronic health records.
“We are very disappointed that this incident occurred, and that an employee would violate the trust of our patients in this way,” Cecile Hunt, chief executive officer for the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region, said in a news release. “We offer our sincere apology to our patients. It is our duty to protect the health information for our patients, and we must ensure that health care providers take that duty seriously.”
A review by the regions’ privacy office showed that the employee had accessed the files of 22 patients over the course of 12 months. All of the files that were accessed by the employee, with one exception, were electronic records.
The health region has sent a letter to each patient whose records were breached informing them of the incident and when it occurred.
The employee that was involved no longer works for PAPHR.