SASKATOON -- Information on how to access a patient's home was included on at least one of the continuing care aide home visit schedules that were lost or stolen in Saskatoon and Regina, according to a report from the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner.
Four schedules, that together contained 59 patients' information, went missing between Sept. 19, 2018 to June 10, 2019.
The information contained in the documents included details about the health of each individual and the care each patient requires.
The files also included addresses, telephone numbers, medical record numbers, scheduled appointments and each patient's gender.
Of these schedules, one page was recovered. This page also contained information on how to gain access to the patient’s home.
It's unknown whether the other schedules contained this same type of information, the report said.
Three of the incidents involved vehicles being broken into and the schedules stolen while the aide was either at home or at a patient’s address.
The fourth incident involved one page of a schedule found in a parking lot.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority's (SHA) privacy breach prevention strategies aren't sufficient or standardized, Ronald Kruzeniski concluded in the report, dated Dec. 6.
The SHA also has not consistently prepared adequate investigation reports for every incident, Kruzeniski said.
Kruzeniski's office also looked at two similar privacy breaches in 2017 involving 21 patients, which happened prior to the health authority's creation.
Kruzeniski recommended that the SHA determine appropriate safeguards to fulfill its duty to protect; implement consistent policies and procedures throughout the province; monitor the compliance of its continuing care aids with these policies and procedures in all offices across the province; and consistently follow best practices for writing breach investigation reports.
