Checklist for Searching for Personal Health Information
Checklist for Searching for Personal Health Information
Checklist for Searching for Personal Health Information
Disclaimer: the list below is meant to be a guide. Providing the details below is not a guarantee that the IPC will find the search conducted was reasonable. Each case will require different search strategies and details depending on the records requested.
Build your search strategy by considering the following:
Types of Information Available
What types of personal health information is the individual seeking? For example:
- Patient chart
- Appointment information
- Laboratory results
- Medication information
- Immunization information
- Discharge summaries and medical imaging reports
- Clinical encounters
- Treatment plans
- Chronic disease information
- Consultation reports
- Independent medical evaluations
- Images, for example:
-
- X-Ray
- Ultrasound
- CT
- MRI
Time Period
What is the period of time? For example:
- A single test or appointment
- Specific day, month, year
- Duration of a certain hospital stay
Record Type
Did you consider records in all different forms?
For example:
- Paper
- Digital
- Microfiche
- Audio cassette
- Medical film
- Photographs
- Videotape
Location Details
Did you consider records in different places?
- All facilities/locations/units/offices
- Records being temporarily retained:
- on the unit
- in individual employee’s or physician’s offices
- vehicles or homes
- Managed off-site by an information management service provider (IMSP)
- In the possession of a contractor, consultant, agent or lawyer
- Stored on mobile electronic devices (i.e. laptops, smart phones, cell phones, tablets)
- Contained within information systems (legacy, EMR, EHR)
- Did you use filtering tools to search?
- Did you run any relevant reports (summary or detailed)?
Record Organization
Did you consider how records are organized?
- How are records classified within the records management system? For example, are the records classified by:
- Alphabet
- Year
- Function
- Subject
- Did you search relevant folders on all drives within the records management system?
- Before searching did you identify, in advance, key words to search?
- Do you need someone with different user rights to access restricted documents?
Record Retention
Did you consider the record’s life cycle?
- Did you find out where all active and non-active files are stored?
- storage on-site?
- storage off-site?
- Consider disposal/destruction schedules
- Review relevant destruction certificates
Did You Consult With Experts?
Did you talk to those ‘in the know’?
- Identify employee(s) “experienced in the subject matter”
- Records or information managers
- IT
- IMSP
Other Types of Records
Does the individual want to know who viewed his or her personal health information?
- If yes, did you refer him or her to eHealth Saskatchewan?
eHR Viewer Audits – https://www.ehealthsask.ca/services/ehr-viewer/Pages/eHR-Viewer-Audits.aspx
Did the requestor also have interest in other kinds of information/records?
- His or her personal information
- Administrative records
- Other