Patient Privacy

APPROACH is a clinical information registry used at many hospitals to assist administration in understanding the quality of care provided at their hospital as well as the number of services that are provide.

The following information is collected regarding patient information:

Demographic Information: Name (first and last), Address, (Street, City, Province, Postal Code) area code and phone number.

Medical Information: Related to Cardiology (Heart) procedures and hospital admissions (type of test like Angiograms or angioplasties), the medications given while in hospital, your past medical history for things like Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, and High Cholesterol) and blood test results - basically information that is necessary for you, the patient, to receive the best and safest care.

Only medical and nursing personnel with special permissions are allowed to use the APPROACH database. Permission is granted by the nurse or doctors supervisor and then further reviewed by an APPROACH security staff member. Only the people who are taking care of you are permitted to access and look at your information during the time they are caring for you in hospital. Your information is never shared with anyone in another province or country.

APPROACH takes your privacy very seriously; we work with members of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner to ensure that we have met the strictest standards. Our Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) have received approval from OIPC. For more information on PIA’s and other privacy regulations please visit: www.oipc.ab.ca

Information in the APPROACH Registry is occasionally used in research projects, however your personal information will remain strictly confidential. As noted above, APPROACH must comply with the OIPC regulations for protecting your privacy in addition to those regulations APPROACH must renew its medical ethics applications with the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta annually.