Summerside hospital worker fired for improperly accessing patient files, says Health P.E.I.

An employee of Summerside's Prince County Hospital accessed the personal files of more than 100 patients without permission, Health P.E.I. says. 

In a news release Monday afternoon, the health agency said it discovered the breach of the provincial electronic record system last fall and has sent letters to the affected patients. 

It said the hospital worker accessed 105 personal medical records without a work-related reason between July 1 and Oct. 15, 2024. 

Health P.E.I. said the "unacceptable" breach led to the employee being fired.

"This is a terrible breach of privacy and should never have happened," agency CEO Melanie Fraser is quoted as saying in the news release.

"This individual broke the rules, violating the privacy and confidentiality of Islanders who entrust our health-care system and our staff to safeguard their personal health information. I want to reassure the public we have measures in place to monitor staff access to patient information and we take action when privacy breaches are detected or reported."

Health P.E.I. said it takes the privacy of its patients, clients and residents very seriously and has several policies in place addressing confidentiality, staff codes of conduct, and patient rights and responsibilities.

The agency said workers are provided with information and education on those policies when they begin working in the health-care system, as well as throughout their employment. All staff are also required to sign a confidentiality agreement at the time of hiring.

The agency said the breach has been reported to P.E.I.'s information and privacy commissioner, who will review Health P.E.I.'s response.

Health P.E.I. said its own privacy team is also investigating in order to determine the full scope of the breach. It said if further incidents are found, patients will be notified.