Use for primary and secondary purposes

Use for primary and secondary purposes

• A GP’s primary purpose for collecting health information is to provide healthcare services.
• Your practice might use and disclose health information for that ‘primary’ purpose.
• To decide whether it is appropriate to release de-identified healthcare data at the request of an external organisation, refer to Guiding principles for managing requests for the secondary use of de-identified general practice data. This provides decision-making support and a checklist.
• Health information might be used or disclosed for another ‘secondary’ purpose where:
  • the patient consents
  • the patient would expect a use or disclosure related to their healthcare
  • it is unreasonable to seek consent when the collection of information is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to life, health or safety of an individual or the public
  • the use or disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of another individual who is a genetic relative of the individual
  • the patient is physically or legally incapable of giving consent and the health information is disclosed to a responsible person (which might include parents, adult siblings, spouses, adult relatives, guardians or attorneys granted power concerning health decisions) for compassionate reasons or to allow appropriate care or treatment of the patient.
• A practice might use or disclose health information as required or authorised by or under law.
• Practices are responsible for information disclosed overseas.