What is personal health information?

Personal health information is information collected about you that has to do with your health. For example, each time you visit a doctor’s office or hospital, there should be a record of your visit and what happened.

It is important for you to know the type of information about you in your myUHN Patient Portal account so you can:

• keep your information safe
• know what type of information you are sharing if you choose to share your information with others
• prepare for appointments with your health care provider
• track and manage your care

What type of personal health information can I see in myUHN?

Your personal health information in myUHN can include:

• Your name, date of birth and address
• Health card (OHIP card) number and medical record number (MRN).
  Along with your name and date of birth, these numbers help us identify you as a patient.
• Past and upcoming appointments
  Personal health information about your appointments includes the date, time, name of the health care provider you are seeing and the type of appointment you have.
• Test results and reports
  This can include:
  • results from UHN labs, like blood and urine tests
  • results from over 150 hospitals, community and public health labs stored in the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS)
  • reports, like medical imaging and pathology reports
• Clinic notes
  Clinic notes are notes that your health care provider makes after speaking with you on the phone or seeing you at an appointment. They are used to keep an on-going record of your health. Clinic notes often include:
  • what you and your health care provider talked about
  • what your health care provider finds or thinks after examining you
  • your health care provider’s opinion about your health
  • a plan for managing your health, including tests, referrals, and follow-up care you may need
• Discharge summaries
  This is a report that your health care provider writes at the end of your hospital stay or treatment. It can include information like:
  • your diagnosis
  • type and length of treatment
  • how and when you will need follow-up care

What if there is something in my personal health information that I don’t understand?

Talk with your health care team about any questions or concerns you have about your personal health information.

Can I make changes to my information?

If you want to update or change your information on the ‘Home’ page of myUHN (for example, your address or family doctor), please contact your clinic or let them know the next time you check in for your appointment. You can also contact Health Record Services at HealthRecordsServices@uhn.ca or 416 946 2000, extension 4711.

If you think there needs to be a change to a report (for example a clinic note) you see in myUHN, contact Health Record Services. You will be asked to fill out a form about the change you want to make.

What can I do to help keep my health information safe?

If you have a myUHN Patient Portal account, here are some important things to remember:

• Keep your health card number, medical record number, and password private.
• Choose a private space when you are looking at your health information. Don’t download any information on a public computer.
• Keep any printed copies of your health information in a safe place (like a locked cabinet or an encrypted device).
• Learn how to protect your health information online.

If you decide to share your information with someone by making them a proxy user:

• Make sure they have your best interests in mind
• Remember that they can see all past and current information from any clinic where you’ve received care at UHN.
• Think about whether you need to share your entire health record. You can choose to share appointments, results and reports, or both.
• Remember that you are the only person who can invite, remove or change a proxy user.