Examining An Unusual Complaint

An unusual case of protecting patient privacy...

FYI, the Ontario College of Pharmacists publication "Pharmacy Connection" is now available as a website (versus PDF in the past).

pharmacyconnection.ca

​A recent "Close-Up On Complaints" article was perplexing. It wasn't about fraud. It wasn't about sexual misconduct. It wasn't even about refusing to transfer a prescription to another pharmacy.

It was about paperwork.

Here's what happened in summary:

• A patient at a pharmacy noticed that there were documents and medication vials around the pharmacy’s dumpster and parking lot
• The Designated Manager (DM) accompanied the patient outside to examine the dumpster
• He indicated to the patient that he did not own the dumpster and therefore could not do anything about the contents on the ground and stated that the documents were records from the surrounding medical clinics and not his pharmacy
• When the patient drove by the pharmacy a few days later, the documents and other items were still there
• The patient complained to Ontario College of Pharmacists
  

Here's where it gets interesting...

• In this case, the panel emphasized that photos provided by the patient definitively show that pharmacy documents with identifiable patient information were in the dumpster area
• The DM did not take immediate action when notified of the issue. He continually placed the blame on others for the situation and did not acknowledge that the documents there were related in any way to the pharmacy
• The committee issued an oral caution and directed him to engage in additional learning on his obligations under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)