Patient Data

Policy

Ensuring equitable health outcomes starts with understanding our practice's population.

We routinely collect quantitative demographic data in accordance with the:

• Ministry of Health's Ethnicity Data Protocols for the Health and Disability Sector
• Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

  See also Safeguarding Patient Information.

Patient data is stored in Medtech and used to:

• monitor and measure population diversity
• inform clinical audits and quality improvement activities.

  See also Clinical Governance.

We initially collect patient ethnicity during the new patient enrolment process. Any additional patient data is collected during consultations and recorded as classifications.

We regularly audit patient data to identify and assess outcomes for specific groups within the practice population.

Collecting patient data

Collecting high-quality patient data enables the practice to gain an accurate picture of patient outcomes. Accurate data collection makes it easier to identify disparities within the practice population and helps the government accurately identify patient and population health needs.

Types of quantitative patient data collected for audit may include:

• Ethnicity data

  When collecting ethnicity data:

  • Use the Ministry of Health's standard ethnicity question. Don't change the format, font size, or dimensions.
  • Patient must identify their own preferred ethnicity or ethnicities – do not guess or assume.
  • Do not limit the number of ethnicities patient can select.
  • Collect ethnicity at least once every three years – you can confirm ethnicity at any time while checking other details.
  • Don't transfer patient ethnicity data from another form – it may have been incorrectly collected.

  Use the Ministry of Health's Primary Care Ethnicity Data Audit Toolkit to assess procedures for collecting ethnicity data.

• Gender and sex data

  Clear health data about gender, pronouns, and sex assigned at birth improves health outcomes and quality of life for transgender and non-binary people.

  When collecting gender and sex data:

  • Determine whether you need to know sex assigned at birth for a specific reason. Data about sex assigned at birth must only be collected in a clinical context by a health provider.
  • Do not assume that the patient is "out" to everybody and in all situations.
  • Never share information more broadly than consented to – this may be unsafe for the patient.
  • Give the patient opportunity to opt out of questions, or to have information provided not be used to update the NHI.
  • Do not guess or complete answers based on your own perception of the respondent's gender.
  • Avoid using the words 'preferred' or 'gender' when asking about pronouns.

  The Ministry of Health's interim document Gender and Sex Data Protocol provides guidance for collecting and using gender and sex assigned at birth data. This has not yet been mandated but is considered current best practice.

collecting patient data, population