Privacy

Statutory Obligation

Legislation guarantees a customers right to privacy.  In pharmacy this is not easy to manage as in many instances family members and partners provide care or run errands. Customers may feel aggrieved if the release of unauthorised personal information leads to embarrassment or interpersonal conflict.  As a general rule, always ask a patient before divulging information to a third party and, if possible, note their response on the file.

Main Principles

• Have a clear policy in regard to confidentiality.
• Public areas – keep private information out of view.
• Counsel customers away from others, in an area providing relative privacy.
• Train staff on the importance of customer privacy and set clear limits on what is to be said at the counter in relation to any patient.
• Phones – Avoid discussions about patients on speaker phone as the communication may be overheard.
• Other Clinicians – Where advice and information is to be shared, it is appropriate to seek the patient’s consent.
• Training – All staff should be trained at induction on the inadvisability of discussing patients with other staff, particularly in public areas, or outside the pharmacy environment.
• Electronic Communications.  Consider the use of PKI.  The PKI is the framework adopted by the Australian Government and health sector and provides security and confidentiality for electronic business.