Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

What laws require health information custodians to implement privacy policies?

1. PIPEDA

2. Privacy laws

3. Provincial laws

4. Security laws

The correct answer is: Privacy laws

Choosing the response that refers to "Privacy laws" is understandable, as this term encompasses various legal frameworks that guide the protection of personal health information. Privacy laws create a foundation for the rights of individuals regarding their information and the obligations of custodians in how they handle this data. Health information custodians, such as healthcare providers and organizations, are required to establish privacy policies under these overarching privacy regulations. This is essential for maintaining confidentiality and ensuring that personal health information is managed in a compliant manner. Privacy laws often incorporate principles that dictate how information is collected, used, disclosed, and safeguarded. While the other choices reflect specific legal frameworks or categories of law, they do not collectively represent the comprehensive set of regulations typically referred to as "privacy laws." For example, PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) is a federal law that governs the collection and use of personal information in the private sector but is just one component. Provincial laws also exist and may differ across regions, meaning they also contribute to the broader category of privacy laws. Security laws tend to focus more on the protections around data security rather than the policies pertaining to privacy specifically. Therefore, understanding the implications of privacy laws as a whole is critical for health information custodians to ensure