What privacy concerns should health service providers be aware of when...

View printable version of this page

Question: What privacy concerns should health service providers be aware of when providing health services to individuals in places such as pharmacies or waiting rooms?

Answer: In those types of places, health service providers in the private sector will often have obligations under the National Privacy Principles (NPPs), when they collect, disclose or discuss an individual's health information (sensitive information).

For example, when pharmacists collect their patients' sensitive information or discuss the patients' symptoms with them, some patients may have concerns about discussing their health issues in public. Where conversations may be overheard, they should be conducted in a manner sensitive to the surroundings. Depending on the circumstances, the pharmacist may wish to take additional steps to protect their patients' privacy, such as taking them to one side. For more information on privacy issues affecting pharmacists, see Some Privacy Issues for Pharmacists.

Another example is when patients' names are called out in a hospital or doctor's waiting room for patients to attend their appointments. Under NPP2, this is usually an acceptable practice. However, there may be circumstances, for instance with certain health services, or when patients ask for their names not to be called out, where staff may wish to consider a more indirect approach which is respectful of the patients’ concerns. Consideration should also be given to privacy issues when, for example, medical staff are discussing a patient's symptoms or treatment where other people can overhear. For guidance on the NPPs, see Guidelines on Privacy in the Private Health Sector.