Have hospitals been successful in obtaining express consent from patients while they are receiving care?
ANSWER #18: Generally, hospitals have not been able to obtain express consent from patients for the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information for any activity outside of direct patient care while a patient is being treated at the hospital. For example, in a pilot study conducted at a major University of Toronto teaching hospital in 2001, clerks from the Admitting Department were trained to ask patients directly for their express consent for the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information for fundraising activities, health research, and to complete a patient satisfaction survey that would be mailed to the patient’s home post-discharge. The study found that 95% of patients admitted during the day (e.g. between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.) opted out of all secondary uses of personal information described in the study. For patients who were admitted to the hospital in the evening (e.g. between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.), the opt-out rate was even higher – a st
Related Questions
- Do hospitals need to obtain consent to release information prior to calling in clinical information for concurrent review?
- Have hospitals been successful in obtaining express consent from patients while they are receiving care?
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