Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Verona – Violation Found (Italy, 2022)

The Garante authorised the collection and storage of data in the 'Torax' database on the basis of an initial consent, expressed by patients when they took part in the study, provided that the hospital subsequently acquires specific consents from patients or the opinion of the Garante for those who have died or can no longer be contacted, as the research projects are further defined and approved by the territorially competent ethics committees. Favourable opinion of the Italian Garante on the processing of data by the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Verona aimed at studying patients suffering from neoplastic, infectious, degenerative and traumatic diseases of the thoracic district. The project envisages the creation of a database and research activities in nine areas that will be the subject of further specific protocols and submitted to the relevant ethics committees. In order to give the go-ahead the Authority required researchers to base the collection - and subsequent processing of health data for medical research purposes - on 'stepwise' consent.