Posted on: February 2, 2024
The following is intended for Leaders of Clinical Teams on behalf of Lisa Saffarek, Director of Virtual Care Services
February 2, 2024
Protecting Patient Privacy with Approved Virtual Care Solutions
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health allowed exceptions to support a quick transition to virtual care solutions for continued access to care. These exceptions are no longer in place, and we remain accountable to the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). All virtual health care technologies are required to meet FIPPA requirements, including an approved Privacy Impact Assessment.
IS YOUR CLINICAL AREA USING APPROVED VIRTUAL CARE SOLUTIONS?
Only virtual care solutions that have been fully assessed by ISAP and Security and endorsed for clinical use at Island Health should be utilized. Clinical use includes directly meeting with a patient, any meeting where a patient’s care is discussed, including case conferences, sharing screens that contain Personal Health Information, etc.
The following have been APPROVED & ENDORSED for clinical use in Island Health:
- BC Virtual Visit (Teladoc Health - Solo)
- Zoom for Healthcare
- Island Health Remote Patient Monitoring application (Telus Tunstall)
- Island Health provisioned Cisco Jabber
- Facility-based (Telehealth) rooms using Island Health's secure video conferencing technology
- Remote Auscultation application (TeleSensi)
- Remote Interpreting application (LanguageLine)
- Call4Care using 2-way voice communication devices
Note: GoodSam is being leveraged by some provincial services. If you require support or information about this solution, please reach out to Virtual Care Services.
All the virtual care tools and technologies listed above have been extensively reviewed and meet Island Health and BC strict requirements for secure virtual health care delivery. The Virtual Care Services team at Island Health maintains these applications, including providing ongoing updates, education and training, and technical support to patients and providers.
If you are using any other solutions to deliver care, you may not be in compliance with Island Health and provincial requirements. Use of unapproved health care technologies may put your patients’ Personal Health Information at risk.
The following are NOT APPROVED for clinical use at Island Health (this list is not exhaustive):
- FaceTime
- Microsoft Teams
- Signal
- DoxyMe
- Skype
VIRTUAL CARE SERVICES CAN ASSIST YOU
If you are currently using a solution that is NOT endorsed for clinical use at Island Health, we can help you transition to an approved platform. Contact us at virtualcare@islandhealth.ca as soon as possible. More information about each approved solution can be found on our Intranet page.
QUESTIONS ABOUT PRIVACY
If you have questions or concerns about the privacy of a specific application and its use at Island Health, please contact the Information Stewardship, Access and Privacy (ISAP) office at privacy@islandhealth.ca.
For more information, please contact virtualcare@islandhealth.ca