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Professional Responsibility and Accountability Series: Privacy and Confidentiality
In 2025, the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA) will share information on topics related to professional responsibility and accountability. This month’s topic is privacy and confidentiality.
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) have legal and ethical obligations to protect the privacy and confidentiality of clients’ information. Upholding clients’ privacy and keeping their information confidential is a foundational part of being a healthcare professional and is essential to maintaining trust within a nurse-client relationship.
A healthcare professional’s commitment to protecting a client’s right to privacy must be balanced with the need to disclose health information. Key considerations for maintaining privacy and confidentiality in a healthcare context are listed below.
- LPNs have a professional responsibility to practice within relevant laws. This includes privacy legislation and duty to report. For more information, see the CLPNA’s Duty to Report and Privacy Legislation in Alberta interpretive documents.
- LPNs protect and respect client privacy and confidentiality during and after the client assignment. Client information should only be shared between colleagues or other healthcare providers if they are involved in the provision of care for that client. Therefore, LPNs should be mindful of who can hear private conversations.
- LPNs use technology in a manner that respects privacy and confidentiality. Technology like cell phones and laptops can make it easier for breaches in privacy and confidentiality to occur. LPNs should be aware of the risks of using these devices and take appropriate precautions.
- LPNs access information appropriately. Accessing the information or records of family members, friends, or unassigned clients is a breach of privacy. The access of information should be in accordance with job responsibilities.
- LPNs can only disclose information under certain circumstances. Generally, confidential information can only be shared with people outside a client’s healthcare team after the client gives their consent. There are certain exceptions to these rules, which are covered in the CLPNA’s Confidentiality practice guideline.
Example One: Disclosing Health Information
An LPN who is working at a hospital receives a call from a friend who wants the LPN to look up a family member’s healthcare number. The LPN’s friend is hoping to help their family member manage medical appointments. Because the LPN has access to Albertans’ health records, they are able to look up the healthcare number for their friend.
The LPN in the above example did not have permission to access the family member’s healthcare number because the family member was not their client; further, they had no authority to disclose this information to their friend. Therefore, this action was a direct violation of privacy legislation and could have resulted in disciplinary action.
Example Two: Social Media
An LPN posts a video that she recorded at work to her personal social media account. The video shows the faces of several clients and coworkers as well as signage that indicates where the LPN works.
The LPN in this example violated the privacy of her clients as well as her coworkers. LPNs have a responsibility to use social media and other technology in a manner that respects client privacy and confidentiality. The video contained enough information so viewers could determine where her clients were located. Revealing a client’s location may jeopardize their safety. It may also enable the viewer to guess what conditions a client was being treated for, which violates their right to privacy and confidentiality.
