> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chartnote.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Patient consent for recording clinical visits in Canada

> What Canadian federal and provincial privacy laws say about patient consent for recording clinical visits with an AI scribe, plus a sample consent clause.

What federal and provincial laws say about recording clinical visits in Canada, and how to get consent.

**Who this is for:** Clinicians in Canada · **Plans:** All plans · **Where:** AI Scribe

This article is general information, not legal advice. Check with your clinic's Privacy Officer or legal counsel.

## Federal law: one-party consent

Under the Criminal Code of Canada (Section 184), Canada is a one-party consent country. A conversation can be legally recorded if at least one person in it consents, so a clinician can record their own interaction with a patient under criminal law. This doesn't override healthcare privacy obligations.

## Privacy laws: consent to collect health information

Recording a visit is collecting personal health information (PHI), and provincial privacy laws apply:

* **Ontario**: PHIPA (Personal Health Information Protection Act). Requires patient consent to collect PHI, including by recording.
* **Alberta**: HIA (Health Information Act). Requires express or implied consent to collect health information.
* **British Columbia**: PIPA (Personal Information Protection Act). Consent is required to collect and use personal information.
* **Quebec**: Private Sector Privacy Act. Clear consent is required to collect any identifiable information.

**Bottom line:** verbal or written consent from the patient is typically required, even if you're part of the conversation.

## Best practices with AI Scribe

**1. Tell the patient at the start of the visit that the conversation will be recorded for documentation.**

**2. Get verbal consent, for example: "To help me focus on your care and document accurately, I'll be using a secure AI tool to transcribe our conversation. Is that okay with you?"**

**3. Document the consent in the visit note if your clinic's policy requires it.**

**4. Include written consent in your intake forms when possible.**

## Sample consent clause for intake forms

**Consent to Record Visits for Documentation**

I understand that my healthcare provider may record my visit using a secure tool to create accurate clinical documentation. The recording is used solely to generate my medical note and is protected under applicable privacy laws.

☐ I consent to the recording of my visit for documentation purposes.

## How Chartnote protects recordings

* Recordings and notes are processed on HIPAA- and PIPEDA-compliant infrastructure, and our AI vendors are under zero data retention agreements.
* Data is encrypted in transit and at rest.
* No identifiable information is used for training or shared with third parties.
* You can delete notes at any time. Deleted notes go to the Trash for 30 days, then they're permanently deleted.
* You can set one retention policy that automatically deletes notes, audio and transcripts after 1 to 90 days. See [Set note retention and automatic deletion](https://docs.chartnote.com/privacy-and-data/set-data-retention-policy.md).

## Related articles

* [Do I Need Patient Consent to Use an AI Scribe? (Is Verbal Consent Enough?)](https://help.chartnote.com/portal/en/kb/articles/obtaining-consent-for-using-ai-scribe-in-your-practice)
* [Sample Consent Form for AI Scribe](https://help.chartnote.com/portal/en/kb/articles/sample-consent-form-for-ai-scribe)
* [Chartnote privacy and security: HIPAA and SOC 2](https://docs.chartnote.com/privacy-and-data/chartnote-privacy-and-security.md)

*Last reviewed: October 2026 · Applies to Chartnote 3.0*


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