Privacy and Health Research

Privacy is an important issue in the health research world. Hospitals, research ethics boards and researchers are working to find the appropriate balance between protecting the privacy of individuals and enabling the sharing of personal information for research that will ultimately benefit society as a whole.

Finding that appropriate balance can be a challenge. Understanding key privacy issues as well as sorting through Nova Scotia's assortment of legislation governing the privacy of personal health information can be quite confusing.

Privacy Report

The NSHRF was asked to help sort through the confusion. We contracted with Sierra Systems to prepare a report describing the current situation in the province and outlining the possible options for clarity. A working group was struck consisting of representatives from the IWK Health Centre, Nova Scotia Department of Health, Capital Health District Health Authority and Dalhousie University.

The Health Research and Privacy Report provides a comprehensive overview of the Nova Scotia privacy framework. It describes several key issues identified through literature review, interviews, and working group members. It suggests an approach to managing these issues and summarizes some of the current best practices in the area of health research and privacy.

NSHRF Recommended Approach to Privacy Issues

NSHRF recommends consulting legal council in regards to privcy issues. In addition, the following documents may be consulted for direction and guidence on specific issues:Tri-Council Policy Statement and CIHR Best Practices