Under the title "Privacy and Confidentiality : the protection of health-related data" today, the VI International Seminar of the UNESCO Chair of Bioethics of the University of Barcelona was held today the 21st of January at the Antoni Caparrós Conference Hall at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB). This year, the forum-which is held annually with the aim of promoting the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" of the UNESCO- focused on fostering a culture sensitive to the protection of confidentially of computerised medical records as well as the necessary confidentiality of the doctor-patient relationship.

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The opening event was conducted by the vice rector of Academic and Scientific Policy from the UB, M. Teresa Anguera; María Casado, holder of the UNESCO Chair of Bioethics and director of the Observatory on Bioethics and Law (UB-PCB), and Esther Mitjans, director of the Catalan Data Protection Authority, who has emphasised the need for professionals to get acquainted with new technologies in order to avoid third-party intrusions in automated and digitalised medical records.

The seminar –with over 180 attendees– has been honoured with the participation of two world renown prestigious lecturers Ruth Macklin, professor of Bioethics of the Public Health Department of the Albert Einstein College School of Medicine of New York, who has analysed privacy and confidentiality of biomedical and behavioural research, and Patricia Kosseim, General Attorney for the Direction of Legal, Political and Parliamentary Services of the Canadian Commission for Data Protection.

Throughout the course of the seminar two round tables have been held in which several national and international experts from the academic, healthcare and institutional sectors have participated.

The first round table titled, “Shared Clinical History and Confidentiality”, was moderated by Lidia Buisán –head of the Anaesthesiology and Recovery Area at the Hospital General Hospital, and professor of Medical Ethics at the UB- and enjoyed the participation of Leonor Ancochea, primary care physician and director of the Primary Care Team, of the Derecha de la Eixample (a distric in Barcelona); Xavier Conill, director Health Planning and Development of the Maresme and Selva geographical areas; Joan Guanyabens, general coordinator of IT&C of te Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and Carles San José, head of the Area of Inspection of the Catalan Data Protection Authority.

The second round table, “Biological Samples of human origin and personal data protection”, was moderated by Ana Sanchez Urrutia, chair of Constitutional Right of the UB and member of the Catalan Data Protection Authority with the participation of Gemma Marfany, chair of Genetics at the UB; Cristina Dietrich, head of Regulatory and Judicial Studies Projects of the Catalan Data Protection Authority; Joan Brunet, research coordinator and head of Medical Oncology Service-Girona; and Marta Torrabadella, head of Umbilical Cord Blood and Tissue Banking.

Catalonia is a leader in Spain in health-related data protection: the degree of knowledge in this field is about 96.9%, and the level of compliance with regulations is approximately 81.7, according to data derived from the Study on the Privacy and Safety of Personal Data in the Spanish health System, elaborated by the National Institute of Communication Technologies (INTENCO) and the Madrid Community Data Protection Agency (APDCM).