Enforcement Assessment

When patients are subjected to investigations or interventions without consent under provisions of provincial legislation, prescribers are required to clearly indicate the scope of enforced care, when it starts and stops, how patients' rights have been communicated and how and when the enforcement is reviewed.

Connect Care supports are similar for Mental Health Act (MHA) and Public Health Act (PHA) requirements:

• If a patient is deemed (by the required number and type of providers) to be both non-compliant and compellable for a defined set of interventions, an order is placed in the chart to activate this status.

  • Mental Health Act - "Flag Patient as Certified (Mental Health Act)"

  • Public Health Act - “Flag Patient as Certified (Public Health Act)”

• The order composer includes direction that relevant legislated forms must be completed and that the patient must be informed that they are being detained and why. 

  • Links are provided within the order composer to relevant forms (which can be completed within Connect Care [for select MHA Forms] or online) and communication letter templates.

  • Other links remind the provider about requirements for compliance with the applicable Act.

  • The Public Health Act has requirements related to timelines for examining a patient (see the "External Guides and Forms" section below for more details).

  • Patient resources are identified that can be provided to the patient and/or designated decision-makers.

• Other than the MHA Forms that can be completed/scanned into the chart via the MHA section of the Consent & eForms Navigator, completed forms should be saved as PDF files or scanned and attached to the patient's chart using Media Manager. 

External Guides and Forms

Mental Health Act (compelled treatment)

Some MHA Forms are available as digital eForms within Connect Care via the MHA section of the Consent & eForms Navigator; these forms can be completed and signed directly within Connect Care. All other MHA Forms can be accessed and scanned into the chart via the MHA section of the Consent & eForms Navigator. MHA Forms can also be attached to the patient's chart using Media Manager.

• AHS: Mental Health Act Forms

• Guide: Mental Health Act eForms

• Overview: Mental Health Act Forms

Public Health Act (compelled investigation, treatment, isolation)

Persons detained under section 39 of the Public Health Act must be examined within 24 hours of arrival at the facility. 

Persons isolated under section 44 of the Public Health Act shall be re-examined by a physician at least once every 7 days to determine whether the person may be released from the order.  

• Process: PHA Mandatory Isolation

The order contains links to the relevant forms, which are maintained by the Government of Alberta.

• Forms: PHA - Medical Officer of Health

The notification of Patient Rights forms can be downloaded from Insite. The link is included in the order.

• Form: Notification/Patient Rights under the Public Health Act (section 39)

• Form: Notification/Patient Rights under the Public Health Act (section 44 and 45) Isolation Order

More Information

• Support: Certification Orders