The YourHealthNS application is a tool that provides citizens with a centralized location to access health care records, information and services. YourHealthNS can be accessed through a website or mobile app.
Nova Scotia Health, the Department of Health & Wellness, and IWK Health are committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding personal information and personal health information. Personal health information (PHI) means information that could be used to identify an individual, such as a name and date of birth and information relating to the medical care or health of an individual, including a health card number.
The collection, use, disclosure, and retention of personal health information accessed via the YourHealthNS application is governed and protected by provincial privacy legislation: specifically, the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA), Personal Information International Disclosure Protection Act (PIIDPA), and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPOP).
Collection and use of personal health information:
To provide services to you through the YourHealthNS application, we may need to collect personal health information and personal information. The information we collect includes:
- Demographic: Used for the purpose of patient engagement communication
- First Name
- Last Name
- Email Address
- Date of Birth
- Sex (at birth) or Gender
- Location: Used for the purpose of supporting access to 911 and for recommending appropriate health care services based on location.
- Address
- IP address (used to also determine location [latitude/longitude] and time zone)
- Health: Used for the purpose of clinical triaging and clinical care delivery by Nurse or Physician roles
- Health Card Number
- Clinical assessments (if required)
- Responses to chat triaging questions
- Chat transcript
We require your consent to collect your personal information and/or personal health information. We only collect the minimum amount of information required to provide you with the services you have specifically requested.
Secure Login
To securely display your personal health information and other services, YourHealthNS uses the My NS Account login service. Your personal health information is not shared with the My NS Account service. For further details on the My NS Account service, please see:
Display of Personal Health Information Within YourHealthNS
With your consent, YourHealthNS displays your personal health information to allow for greater access to your health records and improve your experience as a patient.
Your personal health information is displayed from the following sources:
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data: Includes primary care visits and additional data associated with the medical profile.
- Citizen data: Represents key identifiers and demographics of citizens. It is a foundational building block that is required for all other data to integrate with.
- Laboratory data: Includes key datetimes, type, and results of lab tests in the acute and primary care settings.
- Diagnostic imaging data: Includes key datetimes, type, and results of diagnostic imaging tests in the acute and primary care settings.
- Community-based prescription data: Includes key datetimes, locations, and details of prescriptions filled in community pharmacies.
- Hospital visit history data: Includes key datetimes and locations of inpatient and emergency department visits.
- Oncology data: Includes scheduling, management, and treatment data of cancer care patients within Nova Scotia.
- Virtual Care: Includes key data related to patient demographics, symptoms, and encounter information.
- Immunization data: Includes key data related to patient demographics, location, and vaccine type.
- Specialist visits: Includes key data related to patient demographics, location, specialty, and type of visit.
Errors In Your Personal Health Information
If you see any information within YourHealthNS that appears incorrect, please contact the Department of Health and Wellness Health Privacy and Records Management using the contact information below.
Complaints, Questions, or Concerns
If you have a concern regarding display of your personal health information within YourHealthNS, please contact the Department of Health and Wellness Health Privacy and Records Management using the contact information below.
Revoking Consent
You may revoke your consent for displaying your personal health information within YourHealthNS at any time by contacting the Department of Health and Wellness Health Privacy and Records Management using the contact information below.
Disclosure of personal health information
The personal information collected within the YourHealthNS application may only be disclosed in circumstances where we have the legal authority to do so. This includes disclosure for the purposes of coordinating and provisioning healthcare services.
Secure Retention and Destruction of Personal Information
The personal information and/or personal health information you have authorized us to collect will be retained following our organizational retention periods for the type of information submitted. All reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards will be utilized to protect your information from unauthorized use or disclosure.
Our security practices are constantly evolving to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of your information is held to the highest possible standards. Updated security safeguards are in place to protect our networks and websites from misuse, modification, tampering, duplication, disclosure, monitoring, and unauthorized access. Some examples of the safeguards we have in place to protect your information include security software and encryption protocols as well as physical, technical, and procedural controls.
Use of Cookies:
Like many other websites, YourHealthNS uses “cookies” to collect and store user preference data on your computer or device to help improve your experience using while using the application. Most web browsers (including Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, Safari, and Opera) are set up to accept cookies, unless you choose to disable this feature.
If you have cookies disabled on your web browser, you will be able to access YourHealthNS however, you will not be able to set personalized preferences.
How you can protect your information:
Nova Scotia Health, the Department of Health & Wellness, and IWK Health take protecting your privacy seriously, but there are also steps you can take to keep your information safe. Always be sure to keep your device in a safe place so it won’t be lost or stolen. You should use a secure password or other method to lock your device. You should never share your password with anyone.
Who to contact if you have questions:
For additional information regarding Privacy, please see the following Nova Scotia Health, Department of Health & Wellness and IWK Health’s Privacy Statements:
- Nova Scotia Health Privacy Statement
- IWK Privacy Statement
- Department of Health & Wellness Privacy Statement
For general questions about Nova Scotia Health, please contact General Inquiries:
- By phone: 1-844-491-5890
- By e-mail wearelistening@nshealth.ca
- By mail:
- Privacy Office
1-031 Centennial Building,
1276 South Park St.,
Halifax, NS
B3H 2Y9
For general questions about Nova Scotia Health’s privacy policies and practices, please contact NSH Privacy:
- By phone: 1-833-213-1634.
- By e-mail: privacy@nshealth.ca
- By mail: Privacy Office, 1-031 Centennial Building, 1276 South Park St., Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9
For general questions about IWK Health’s privacy policies and practices, please contact IWK Privacy:
- By phone: 1(902)470-6309
- Toll-free: 1-855-678-9811
- By e-mail: privacy@iwk.nshealth.ca
- By mail:
IWK Health Centre
Privacy Office
5850/5980 University Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia
For general questions about the Department of Health and Wellness’ privacy policies and practices, please contact the Department of Health and Wellness:
- By phone: 902-424-5818
- Toll-free: 1-800-387-6665
- By e-mail: phia@novascotia.ca
- By mail:
Department of Health and Wellness
Health Privacy and Records Management
1894 Barrington Street
PO Box 488
Halifax, NS B3J 2R8
