"Patient Privacy"

I was booked in for a PET scan at Prince of Wales Nuclear Medicine and PET scan department on level 2. 

At the nurses station where my cannula was being inserted, I noticed the extremely large white board on the wall facing everyone in the nurses station and waiting area. The white board was less than a metre from where my husband and I were sitting. The white board had a list of all the patients being seen (their full name), along with their age and procedure details. I could see my full name, age and that I was having a PET scan.

This was very concerning to me.  This is both identifiable data and personal medical information and as such, I believe it's a breach of the Privacy Act. In addition, I do not want strangers seeing this information about me, particularly because I have not shared my condition with many people and wish to keep it private that I have cancer. What if someone I knew was also attending the hospital for a procedure later in the day - they would clearly see my name and details and know that I was there.

This causes me much distress. I believe this information should only be accessible by the medical staff and should instead be listed on, for example, paper on the nurse’s station desk where no one can see or access the information other than staff.

In my opinion, the hospital and department need training on privacy and need to change their processes and procedures to comply with the Privacy Act.

I have no complaints about the staff and my treatment on the day. My issue is with my personal information being shared with strangers.