We often work with patient data in a medical context, that we’re then asked to share in a classroom context.  If we’re ever asked to share these patient interactions, we need to remove identifying patient health information (PHI) before sharing this information in the classroom context. This includes sharing this information for H&Ps on clerkship rotations not using PEN.

To de-identify patient data, we must remove all Patient Health Information (PHI). There are 18 of these, including:

1. Patient names – initials are ok, or first name last initial is ok.
2.  Geographic subdivisions smaller than state (zip code, region, county, for example).
3. Telephone numbers.
4. Fax numbers.
5. Social security numbers.
6. Vehicle identifiers.
7. Email addresses.
8. Web URLs and IP addresses.
9. Dates (except year). Age is ok.
10.  Names of relatives.
11. Full face photographs or identifying images.
12. Medical record numbers – this is ok in our system when referring to class work only.
13. Account numbers.
14. Biometric identifiers (fingerprints, voiceprints).
15. Device identifiers and serial numbers.
16. Health plan beneficiary numbers.
17. Certificate/license numbers.
18. Any other unique number, code, or characteristic that can be linked the individual.

You will most often be dealing with names, birth dates, regions, and occasionally photographs. Make sure this information is not included in your H&P or other work. Instead, use general reference identifiers such as initials, ages, diseases, and services. Check for any other identifiers as well.