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This meeting, chaired by Vincenzo Costigliola, President of the European Medical Association (EMA), which is a partner of the GDPR for Health Project, https://gdpr4h-project.eu/ , took place as a webinar managed on MEET, with the participation of several members of EMA, February 8^th 2021.

This summarized preliminary report is developed by the EMA Director for media, e-learning and e-medicine, integrating the main points developed in the discussion.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016/679, directly applicable in all Member States by 25 May 2018 requires healthcare organizations to re-think about their data flows and how they handle and monitor patient data. This is needed to make sure they complies with the National and International regulation. Such very important step toward has the goal of building a more digital and inclusive society.

Dr. Costigliola described how its application is already increasing the distance and the promptness of feedback in the relationship between individual patient and physician. Diseases, and much more events that arise in urgency or with important psychological implications, can only rarely wait to be inserted into forms and templates.

The current digital architecture is still quite schematic if not frankly old-fashioned, so that solicits the doctor to a clinical approach based more on formalities rather than on needs deriving from the patient’s interview, visit and study.

The guarantees may become, and are already becoming, barriers for the direct physical contact and intervention in medical practice. Rules, forms and templates to be filled are actual slowing and distancing tools, and for the menaces of controversies, and the ever-looming threat of legal disputes is becoming an obstacle, as demonstrated by the large number of complaints in all European countries. Regardless of the relevance and outcome of these complaints, the effect on the mutual trust between the doctor and patient, and therefore on the final efficacy of many necessary medical acts, is highly disadvantageous.

The permanent confrontation between the many doctors Google and the doctor with immediate ethical, professional and legal responsibility for the patient who relies on him has become a source of positive stimulus, but also a trigger for useless discussions and behaviors full of fake news and irrational approaches, or for proposals and behaviors frankly fanatic or superstitious.

In such conditions, it is safer for the doctor to fall back on quasi-bureaucratic positions, leaving the patients to a fictitious participatory management of their health or illness. The Ethical call for privacy respect and transparency of processes and of data management, while is very appropriate for health organizations and facilities, as well for industries and research institutions, may seriously impair the freedom and the confidentiality of the doctor-patient relationship, challenging the limited possibilities of smaller family practice and limited resources facilities. The need of agile models and systems, well known and applied in several fields and tasks involving computer science, should be taken in greater account, as it is needed and possible.

Among the sustainable mitigation strategies, EMA Members recommend:

1. It is necessary to provide a clear and safe legal umbrella for the whole phase of meeting, interview and visit that the doctor must carry out in all contexts, but especially in small clinics and with minimal IT facilities.

2. National or local health systems, public or private, must be able to provide all context support to the individual professional, who must not be called upon to implement and control the many data, as appropriately required by EU directives and national laws.

3. Greater surveillance and limitation of all health-related activities that are illegally carried out by people who do not have the necessary qualifications (degrees and qualifications), nor an adequate level of professional and scientific updating and certifications are required.

4. The accuracy of the GDPR rules is clearly and appropriately designed and addressed to non-small health organizations and to clinical trials. These last, which are vital for the development of drugs and medical devices, has been and will be a real advance in scientific and ethical civilization. In this role, the European contribution is of pivotal relevance to build skills for life, and improve confidence and interest in learning for successful participation of all medical professionals in all the health aspects of our society.[CP1] 

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The GDPR4H partners held the last project meeting on 13/01/2021. After the successful cooperation, the GDPR4H concludes at the end of January 2021.The meeting was held online and all partners were present. Each project partner presented the progress of the activities they were responsible for. The discussion of partners was held at a great climate and very useful conclusions were reached.

Starting on January 25th 2021, we organized daily workshops on GDPR in health in Romania, Greece and Germany. The kick-off workshop took place via Zoom and was well attended. To see the presentation, see below 

C training

GDPR4H presentation intro

The online web platform for supporting the mobility of DPOS in Greece, Germany and Romania was established as “mobility tool” for WBL, supporting cross-border mobility.

The GDPR4H Mobility tool is available at: https://mobility.gdpr4h-project.eu/help-page/ .

Το register, you have to:

• add your name, email, and set a password.
• Choose among the 2 options: Candidate or Company. Your selected option will be dispayed in a green box.

Read the terms and conditions and please consent that you agree to proceed.

After creating your account, you will be able to complete your data either s candidate, seeking for WBL or as a Company offering WBL positions.

Specialization Course for Data Protection in Health aims at the skills’ enhancement for Data Protection Officers.  The Course Modules are:

1. Legal Aspects – the basis for every DPO: Data Protection Law
2. It Security – how to ensure the security of IT systems in organizations: IT tools and methodologies applied to data protection
3. Soft Skills – how to communicate and implement data protection thinking in organizations: Soft Skills for the DPOs
4. Work based Learning (WBL) –Learning from practical examples (online via interactive videos and webinars)

The Course is available in:

• German: https://mooc.gdpr4h-project.eu/courses/course-v1:gdpr4h+01DE+2020/course/
• Greek: https://mooc.gdpr4h-project.eu/courses/course-v1:gdpr4h+01GR+2020/course/
• Romanian: https://mooc.gdpr4h-project.eu/courses/course-v1:gdpr4h+01RO+2020/course/

The Awareness Raising Course introduces healthcare professionals and people who are interested in data protection in health, in the basic concepts of the GDPR in healthcare.

The Course is available in:

• German:  https://mooc.gdpr4h-project.eu/courses/course-v1:gdpr4h+02AR_DE+2020/course/
• Greek: https://mooc.gdpr4h-project.eu/courses/course-v1:gdpr4h+02A_GR+2020/course/
• Romanian: . https://mooc.gdpr4h-project.eu/courses/course-v1:gdpr4h+01RO+2020/course/

Τhe GDPR4H Consortium launched the survey for the 1.  Graduate Tracking Mechanisms in partner countries.

If you are an educational institution or training provider, in Germany, Greece and Romania, please dedicate 5-10 minutes to complete the following questionnaire.

The questionnaire is available in the following languages:

• English:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrwTpekwiBM82szfAVz4FuPi2sZlSokmi7p7ZcgsBS4zgHQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

• Greek:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftUVdG9GZOWHsT13WUXxbCIoIcdXLe20DwLDePmZQoGy0kiA/viewform?usp=sf_link

• German: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfe2LSeXbQlirXBmPr9t39L-LmgEfcwpq27rP-oC4BBm9sbmA/viewform?usp=sf_link  

• Romanian:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1jGQIsnMlt_KCQk_uz8zOH12cwvCbfItM4IOFZbo_YCfadA/viewform?usp=sf_link

The Awareness Raising Course introduces healthcare professionals and people who are interested in data protection in health, in the basic concepts of the GDPR in healthcare. The course will last approximately 10 hours.

It includes 4 units in which the history of EU data protection, doctors’ responsibilities, risk assessment procedures and rights of patients are analyzed and presented.

• Unit 1: lists the basic responsibilities and duties of a DPO, as well as the importance of the Data Processors and Controllers.
• Unit 2: contains information on the importance of handling data breaches, as well as the basic patients’ rights in EU.
• Unit 3: describes the basic digital threats that exist in our world. Moreover, it introduces the learner to the basic functionalities of the new E-health plan.
• Unit 4:includes a summary of the main historical aspects of the GDPR as well as the main responsibilities of doctors in processing and protecting personal and health data

Target group: Employees in the health sector, who are not DPOs but who come into contact with patient data and any other interested persons.

• To enroll, follow the hyperlink: https://mooc.gdpr4h-project.eu/courses/course-v1:gdpr4h+01AR_EN+2020/course/
• For any technical issues, you may contact the Technical team of Skybridge, the platform developer, at: gdpr4h.helpdesk@gmail.com