Nurse accused of snooping into patient records loses bid for secret hearing
From thestar.com
A nurse accused of invading patients' privacy by snooping into their medical records has lost her bid to have her disciplinary hearing held in secret.
A disciplinary panel of the College of Nurses of Ontario denied Mandy Edgerton-Reid’s request to exclude the public, including the media, from a hearing into allegations that she looked at records of 300 patients at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre, without consent or authorization.
Her hearing will remain open to ensure public confidence in the administration of justice, the five-member disciplinary panel ruled in a written decision.
Reid had sought a closed hearing to protect patient privacy and to protect herself against a $5.6-million class-action lawsuit that has been brought against her and others in relation to the alleged privacy breach. Through her lawyer, Robert Stephenson, she expressed concern that testimony given in an open hearing could create prejudice in the civil action.
Contacted Monday, Stephenson said he had not yet read the decision so could not comment on it.
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