Admitting clerk allegedly viewed more than 2,600 patient records illegally: N.S.RCMP

A 30-year-old admitting clerk has been charged after police say 2,690 patient records in Nova Scotia were illegally viewed last year, violating the Personal Health Information Act.

Antigonish County District RCMP received a complaint about the incident at a local hospital on April 10. According to a news release from the force, officers learned the admitting clerk allegedly viewed the patient records – which were not pertinent to their job duties – between May 1 and Oct. 4, 2023.

"They (Nova Scotia Health) had done quite a substantial investigation on their part," said Staff Sgt. Kim Hillier, district commander with the Antigonish County District RCMP, in an interview with CTV News Atlantic. "They provided us a significant amount of information, including how often the information was accessed, the dates it was accessed, and so forth.

"Of those 2,690 patient records, some were actually accessed more than once."

Police charged Sarah Emily Dewolfe of Antigonish with wilfully gaining or attempting to gain access to health information in contravention to the Personal Health Information Act.

The investigation continues, but police do not believe Dewolfe disclosed the records. She is scheduled to appear in court on July 17.

"There's nothing to indicate that there were other employees involved in this situation," Hillier said. "What I will say is, although the investigation is ongoing, there is definitely a possibility of further charges should any of these victims come forward and let us know that their information has been used in a criminal manner."

With files from CTV Atlantic's Bruce Frisko.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.