PHIA considerations about Wiki Contacts
We are not allowed to communicate patient information via internet email, but it is common practice to exchange such information within the WRHA network. Some of the communication tools in this wiki use the WRHA network for communication, some uses the wiki via the internet.
Dos
To contact an individual collector use the "email collector about patient data" button.
If you need to contact a group of collectors in an office, you can use the Outlook Mailing Lists. You can use the link in the applicable office article in Category:Offices; this link uses the mailing list; the link would look something like:
- To email everyone in the DC Gra Med group, click the following link: mailto:DCGRAMED@exchange.hsc.mb.ca
- this mailto uses Outlook on your computer, rather than mailing through the wiki; please contact the Database Manager for updates to the mailing list
Don'ts
Don't send patient info in the following ways
- via the links in the collector's wiki article, i.e. links looking like this:
- Contact PHIA considerations about Wiki Contacts Note: Send no patient information using this link! See PHIA considerations about Wiki Contacts.
- to a group of people to make sure the one person who needs it gets it
- by text/SMS
Further Details
The wiki is outside the WRHA network. Because it facilitates the email, it gets to see what goes into the email. So, it must not be used for patient data. I realize this would have been very handy, so I am sorry that we can’t do it that way. Having said that, we might need to look into a better way for you to share some of this data.
PHIA Concern with broadcast email
However, putting into place a solution that automates our sending of personal health data to a broad list of people in hopes of it getting to the person who needs it would go against PHIA. Sending emails with patient data inside our network to specific people who need it is within the spirit of the law. Sending it to a crowd to find the right person would not meet PHIA.