Overriding patient privacy consent directive for the DHDR

A patient may choose to block access to their drugs and pharmacy services in the DHDR. If they do so, their COVID-19 vaccination information is not accessible to providers, even if the patient provided consent when receiving the vaccination.

When accessing the DHDR for a patient who has a privacy consent directive in place, a window appears indicating that access has been blocked by the patient. You can temporarily override the consent directive to gain access to that patient's information in the DHDR. Before doing that, you must obtain consent from the patient (for example, if you are with the patient and they provide verbal consent) and record that consent was obtained.

Once you override the consent directive, you have access to the DHDR information for 4 hours.

Steps

1. Launch the DHDR from the CHR's built-in viewer. For more information, see “Logging into provincial integration services”.

2. In the window that appears notifying you that access to the information is blocked, choose Patient grants temporary access.

📌 Note: If the patient refuses access, select that option. You must record a reason and click Record refusal to record the refusal.

3. A form appears where you must record more information and print a copy of the form for the patient to sign. Scroll through the form and complete each section.

a) Select which records you need to access - medications and/or immunizations.

b) Select who consented to overriding the consent directive - the patient or a substitute decision maker.

If you select Substitute Decision Maker, enter the person’s first and last name, and select their relationship to the patient from the list.

c) Under Next steps, click Print Form.

d) A PDF copy of the form appears. Click the Tools button (two right arrows) to open the menu and click Print.

e) Click the x to close the form.

f) Have the patient sign the printed form. You should keep a copy of this form in the patient's chart.

g) Select the checkbox to indicate that you have a printed, signed consent form.

h) Click Unblock Records.

📌 Note: The button to Unblock Records is greyed out if you have not indicated that you have a printed, signed consent form.

4. A message appears confirming that the records are unblocked and that you have access for 4 hours. Click Ok.

5. In the Access granted window, click Proceed. The DHDR information for this patient now opens. For more information, refer to “Viewing the Digital Health Drug Repository from the CHR”.