On April 20th, the IPC/Ontario held that it is reasonable to include a patient’s first and last name, address, telephone number and date of birth on an Ontario drug prescription.
First name, last name, address and telephone number can be included as primary identifiers, with the telephone number element also enabling communication. The IPC accepted that date of birth can also be included because it is an immutable identifier (unlike address and phone number) and also contributes the prevention of dosing errors (because dosage can depend on age).
The IPC also held that OHIP number can be included on prescriptions for controlled substances because it is required by section 5 of Ontario Regulation 381/11.
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