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Patients鈥� health information could be better protected with the help of a new .

The guide, released by the (OAIC), is designed to 鈥渉elp health service providers understand their privacy obligations and embed good privacy principles throughout their practice鈥�, Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said.

According to the OAIC, health service providers have consistently been one of the top three sources of privacy complaints over the past three years and the leading source of notifiable data breaches since mandatory notification started last year.

鈥淗ealth information is considered to be some of the most personal information about an individual, and it must be handled responsibly and transparently,鈥� Falk said.

鈥淚 expect health service providers to be familiar with their privacy obligations and to take all reasonable steps to protect the personal information they are entrusted with.鈥� 聽

鈥淭his includes any organisation [that] provides a health service and holds health information, from a doctor or private hospital through to a dentist, gym or childcare centre.鈥�

Falk warned that any organisations making serious privacy breaches could be held to account via 鈥渁uditing privacy practices, determining complaints or awarding compensation鈥�.

鈥淲e can also seek civil penalties through the Federal Court of up to $2.1 million per privacy breach,鈥� she said.

The guide features an eight-step plan for better privacy practice, including developing and implementing a privacy management plan, developing clear lines of accountability, creating a documented record of the types of information handled, creating a privacy policy and developing a data breach response plan.

Image credit:聽漏stock.adobe.com/au/momius

Originally published