The nursing profession has a long history in safeguarding the confidentiality of personal health information as a vital component of their professional relationship with patients. A Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses in Canada has been adopted by the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) which governs registered Occupational Health Nurses (OHNs) in Alberta. The section on Privacy and Confidentiality provides high-level direction on major aspects of privacy.
 
Generally, privacy standards in legislation are paramount over professional ethics and codes of practice, but only if they are in conflict. The CRNA Code of Ethics is completely in line with current privacy legislation standards for health information across Canada, and in particular, the Health Information Act (HIA) of Alberta.