Alberta Health Services (AHS) has paused the changes it made to its online patient portal policy in 2022 that prevented parents from accessing the medical records of children 12 and older.
The written notice announcing the pause appeared on the AHS website on Jan. 29.
2022 Access Changes
The removal of parental proxy access to the MyAHS Connect accounts of children aged 12 and older was originally announced in February of 2022 in a bid to protect patients “in vulnerable situations,” according to a letter sent by AHS to physicians to notify them of the change.“In their experience, it is at approximately age 12 when at-risk populations may begin to access or require healthcare independent of their parents or guardians,” the letter reads. “Limiting access to information for parents and guardians when a youth turns 12, is designed to protect vulnerable youth, while continuing to enable MyAHS Connect proxy access for families in situations where it is most valuable.”
AHS warned health-care providers that the decision was likely to “be met with sensitivity by some parents and guardians,” who previously had access to their children’s files through health programs and family medicine clinics.
Personal access is not available to a child, however, until his or her 14th birthday. Once a child turns 14, they can gain direct access to MyAHS Connect with an Alberta ID.
AHS said deactivation of proxy access when a child reaches 12 doesn’t alter parents’ decision-making authority. They are also still able to communicate with their child’s health-care team and attend health-care visits.
