B.C.’s College of Nurses and Midwives has suspended a Duncan nurse for eight months after finding she illegally accessed patient information and shared it.
On Nov. 28, a college inquiry committee panel approved an agreement with Lindsey Rints that she agreed to limits on her practice as a result of the October 2022 issues.
The panel said Rints’ issues related to unauthorized access and disclosure of patient health information.
“Nurses are only permitted to access personal and health information for purposes that are consistent with their professional responsibilities and are not permitted to access the health records of patients who are not in their care,” the panel said in a public notice.
And, the panel said, nurses may only disclose personal and health information as required to meet their professional responsibilities and/or as required under the law.
The discipline includes the suspension; a reprimand; a requirement for remedial education in ethics, privacy and boundaries and a requirement to meet with a college standards and guidance consultant.
The college is currently one of several regulatory bodies empowered under the Health Professions Act to regulate health professions in B.C. It regulates the practice of four distinct professions: nursing, practical nursing, psychiatric nursing and midwifery.
“The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will protect the public,” the college said.
The newly formed College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC amalgamates the regulation of professional chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopathic physicians, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists in B.C. to ensure they have the competencies needed to practice and ensure they adhere to safe and ethical care standards.
Similar legislation in other self-regulated areas such as the legal and notary public professions also allows citizens to know about discipline issues in the public interest.