Context for Practice: Nurses respect the privacy and confidentiality of people across all manner of service provision or communication in all settings or circumstances (including in digital/virtual care environments). Nurses notify clients about the implications of using technology applications (e.g., point-of-care technology, telecommunication and telehealth, or web-based platforms) in care provision. Nurses use appropriate and recognized safeguards when sharing confidential information and address breaches of confidentiality using appropriate channels in accordance with privacy and health information protection legislative requirements.
| Ethical Responsibilities: Nurses demonstrate respect for the privacy and confidentiality of people by |
| 7.1.1 |
providing care to clients in a discreet manner and minimizing intrusions; |
| 7.1.2 |
treating health information gained in the nurse-client relationship as confidential, limiting its use to professional purposes; |
| 7.1.3 |
preventing confidential conversations with clients from being overheard by others (including in public or semi-public areas); |
| 7.1.4 |
ensuring that discussions or communications in all forms (verbal or electronic) among colleagues or other members of the health-care team about clinical cases are respectful and do not identify those people unless necessary and appropriate; |
| 7.1.5 |
taking steps to address breaches of confidentiality by following legislative requirements, professional standards, and organizational policies and procedures; |
| 7.1.6 |
obtaining consent from clients when using photo, video or other technology or when recording for assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation; |
| 7.1.7 |
taking pictures, or video/audio recordings with an approved device (whether organization/company-owned or funded or personally owned) and maintaining the confidentiality of the people involved, their information, including interprofessional colleagues and students; |
| 7.1.8 |
determining that clients engaged in digital (or virtual) care delivery have consented to the use of and can access the relevant technology application and understand its purpose and operation before providing care; |
| 7.1.9 |
informing clients engaged in digital (or virtual) care delivery of the limits to confidentiality related to sharing information on the internet, social media, text messaging and videoconference sites/applications; |
| 7.1.10 |
anticipating the impact that new and emerging technologies can have on client privacy and confidentiality and working to prevent risks of breaches of confidentiality; |
| 7.1.11 |
respecting policies that protect the privacy of clients, including security safeguards in information technology (e.g., password protection, encryption, firewall, storage devices) or when using digital communications (e.g., email, online posts, online chat sessions, mobile communication); |
| 7.1.12 |
safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of all people on social media platforms in accordance with provincial/territorial privacy legislation and refraining from posting confidential information on social media or searching client information using electronic search engines without their informed consent; and |
| 7.1.13 |
anticipating the impact that new and emerging technologies can have on client-professional boundaries, the professional image of individual nurses, the profession, and the organizations in which they work. |
In addition, nurses in formal or informal leadership (e.g., administration, clinical care, education, policy and research) roles support nurses to respect the privacy and confidentiality of client information by
| 7.1.14 |
working with others to create policies and processes to provide training and appropriate security safeguards in information technology or when using communication technology; and |
| 7.1.15 |
developing policies and procedures to prevent risks of breaches of privacy and confidentiality, to protect whistleblowers that report breaches, and to resolve breaches in accordance with legislative requirements. |