Our Privacy Statement
Following amendments to the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988, effective 21st December 2001, The Perth Bone & Tissue Bank Inc. (PBTB) makes the following statement about the collection and management of personal donor and recipient information.
The PBTB is regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and as such is bound by the
Therapeutic Goods Act (1989) and the Australian Code of Good Manufacturing Practice, Human Blood & Tissues (2000). Regulations require that donor and recipient records be retained indefinitely. All records are maintained in the strictest confidence, and files are stored in a secure area.
Collection of patient records is essential to enable the PBTB to establish and maintain the highest standards in the provision of tissue for transplantation.
DONOR RECORDS
The PBTB will collect donor information specifically for the purpose of assessing suitability of an individual to donate tissue for transplantation. Information will be collected via the donor consent form, from the Hospital medical records, the treating Surgeon, and where necessary, the General Practitioner.
Should any of the mandatory laboratory tests performed on the donor be abnormal, which may indicate the need for further investigation, the General Practitioner will be notified, and will be provided with the relevant laboratory results. Some diseases are “notifiable” i.e. positive test results must by law be notified to the Health Department of W.A. (e.g. positive Hepatitis C). Apart from these circumstances, records are not made available to external agencies.
Should donor bone or tissue be failed for any reason it may be made available to accredited researchers provided that the donor has given consent for its use in research. Identifying details will not be disclosed to the researchers. In instances where the consent for research has been denied, tissue will be disposed of via the laboratory.
RECIPIENT RECORDS
Graft recipient information is retained for the express purpose of maintaining thorough records related to the implantation of donated tissue and for the compilation of statistics. The collected recipient details are limited to demographic details such as name, date of birth, address, and details of the surgical procedure performed. A graft follow-up audit is conducted at least 6 months post operatively, which involves an audit form being sent to the surgeon requesting provision of information such as post operative complications, and an indication of the graft healing process.
Under no circumstances are details linking donor and recipient disclosed to external agencies, or to the donor or recipient.
ACCESS TO PRIVATE RECORDS
Individuals may access their personal records by contacting the Perth Bone & Tissue Bank Inc. on 08 9386 9300. Records may not be removed from the premises.