Take part in research

You may make your contribution by agreeing that your personal health data (including audiovisual data such as photos, video footage, audio recordings) and residual samples of biological material may be stored, transmitted to third parties, and reused for research purposes, only after approval by the relevant Ethics Committee. The terms "personal health data" and "samples of biological material" refer here to those that have already been collected at the hospital in the past, but also to those that will be collected to treat you during your current and future hospitalizations or outpatient consultations.

Your consent is voluntary. It remains valid indefinitely or until revoked. You have the right to revoke your consent at any time and without having to justify your decision. To do so, simply inform the EOC General Consent Office whose contact information is provided at the end of this document. After consent is revoked, any personal health data and biological material samples retained may no longer be used for new research projects.

If you do not sign the consent statement or if you mark the "NO" box when you sign this statement, your clinical data and/or biological samples cannot be used for research.

Your decision to deny or revoke consent has no influence on your medical treatment.

• Partecipare alla ricerca

The processing of your personal health data is carried out in accordance with this policy and in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act of the Canton of Ticino (LPDP), the Federal Data Protection Act (DPA), and relevant international standards.

Only authorized employees of the Hospital, such as physicians, may access your unencrypted health data and biological samples. Your biological samples are stored in biobanks: these are facilities that ensure the collection and storage of biological samples and related data. Biobanks are subject to security and quality standards.

To be used for research projects, your personal health data and any stored samples of biological material will be coded. "Encoded" means that all personal information, such as name or date of birth, is replaced by a code so that your identity cannot be recognized. The key that links the code to the name is kept securely by a person who is not participating in the research project. People who do not have the code cannot identify you. Audio-visual data, personal data that may allow the person to be uniquely identified by voice or body features (body shape, moles or tattoos), will be carefully processed so that the person cannot be identified (obscuring part of the images or altering the voice).

Your rights regarding the protection of your data in the research setting are the same as in the treatment setting, including your right of access to it.

Personal health data and, if collected, samples of biological material, may be used by authorized researchers for research projects conducted in the Hospital or in collaboration with other public institutions (such as other Hospitals or Universities), or private facilities (such as Clinics or pharmaceutical companies), in Switzerland and abroad.

Projects may also include genetic analysis for research purposes. Research projects using your personal health data and biological material samples must be approved by the appropriate Research Ethics Committee. In order to make health data or biological samples available for research projects abroad, it is necessary to ensure that the same data protection regulations that apply in Switzerland are applied.

Research conducted with your personal data and biological material samples generally does not provide participants with individual information about their health. In rare cases, the results of the research could be relevant or impact your health status or require clinical intervention. In these cases you would be informed of the results. If you do not wish to receive such information, please feel free to contact the EOC's Office of General Consent, whose contact information can be found at the end of this document.

If you withdraw your consent, your health data and biological samples intended for research will be destroyed, in accordance with legal regulations. Your biological data and samples will therefore no longer be available for new research projects. However, this does not apply to data and samples that have already been used.

There will be no additional cost to you or your health insurance company. The law prohibits the trading of data and samples. Therefore, there will also be no financial benefit to you or the Hospital.