Technological advancement in the healthcare field, as well as the increase in virtual care or telepractice, has helped patients access safer, faster and more specialized care than ever before. However, these developments have also given rise to a multitude of new privacy issues, concerning loss of and unauthorized access to, use, and disclosure of a...
Read MoreQuestion 1: Can I access my own personal health information through my employer’s electronic health records system? Answer: Every Canadian province and territory imposes a legal obligation on health-care custodians to protect personal health information (“PHI”). Typically, institutions or health authorities are considered the health information “custodians” or “trustees” of PHI. As custodians, institutions and...
Read MoreWhat is meant by “patient safety”? Patient safety is the reduction and mitigation of unsafe acts within the health-care system, and the use of best practices shown to lead to optimal patient outcomes.1 Countries around the world, including Canada,2 are taking steps to identify how patients are unintentionally harmed by health care management. Achieving the...
Read MoreA nurse may become involved in various legal proceedings. This infoLAW will focus on four legal proceedings: professional discipline, criminal actions, grievances/arbitration and civil actions. Whenever a nurse is involved in a legal action, they should reach out to CNPS to determine whether assistance is available to them and to discuss next steps. Nurses should...
Read MoreKey terms we use in this InfoLAW: Plaintiff: the person or the organization who filed a civil lawsuit against someone else. Defendant: the person or the organization being sued in a civil lawsuit. What is defamation? The courts have defined a defamatory statement as one “…which tends to lower a person in the estimation of...
Read MoreTHIS PUBLICATION IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS PUBLICATION SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE FROM ANY LAWYER, CONTRIBUTOR OR THE CNPS. READERS SHOULD CONSULT LEGAL COUNSEL FOR SPECIFIC ADVICE. A young pregnant woman asked a community health nurse how long it takes for cocaine to be cleared from the bloodstream. When the...
Read MoreWhat legal processes could involve a community/public health nurse? The community/public health nurse may be a witness or a defendant in legal proceedings. Common legal proceedings are civil lawsuits, criminal prosecutions, professional discipline hearings, inquests, and labour arbitrations. Less common are public inquiries and human rights tribunals.1 What are the common legal issues a community/public...
Read MoreProblems and complications may occur at all hours of the day and night. In the event that you cannot reach us or obtain specific legal advice immediately, the following information may be helpful. It is not intended to replace legal advice. Should you face any of these circumstances, please contact the CNPS at the earliest...
Read MoreCNPS Core Services What types of core services does the CNPS provide? Please visit our core services page to learn more. What is occurrence-based professional liability protection? Under an occurrence-based model, the availability of protection depends on whether the protection was active when the incident giving rise to the claim occurred. For instance, in health...
Read MoreThe Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) recognizes the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of personal information. We are committed to protecting all personal information that we collect and maintain from you in accordance with applicable privacy laws. We have developed this privacy policy to explain the measures that the CNPS has implemented in this...
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