Overview
By following provincial privacy laws, the program uses available screening information from the Department of Health to make sure New Brunswickers who qualify are included in the program.
The New Brunswick Department of Health provides the program with personal health information (name, address, birth date and health-care number) and some screening data (such as colposcopy, test results and cancer diagnosis) so it can send you program letters if needed.
Laboratory results of Papanicolaou (PAP) tests, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) tests and Fecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT) done within New Brunswick are securely transferred from the labs to a central provincial repository. This data helps the program determine who is screened and who is not screened within the province. Information regarding follow-up tests (such as colposcopies and colonoscopies) are used for program monitoring.
Privacy laws make sure that the programs collect and use only the information required as part of monitoring and communicating with you about your cancer screening information. All personal health information is safeguarded as regulated by the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act that governs the way organizations and individuals collect, maintain and use personal information in the delivery of health services. This means that:
- all program staff must participate in annual privacy training in order to help protect your privacy
- the names of screening participants will not be used in any program evaluation or public reports
- the programs must follow provincial data retention guidelines
If you want more information on how your privacy is protected, your privacy rights, or want to raise a concern about how your personal information is handled by the programs, visit Department of Health Privacy and Access or contact the program at 1-844-777-3443.
Opting out
If you wish to opt out of the cancer screening programs, call 1-844-777-3443.
By choosing to opt out, the programs will no longer send you correspondence to invite, remind or advise you of when you are overdue for cancer screening.