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A productive debate among leading international experts in digital health and dozens of people interested in the topic from all over the region were the results of the webinar "Challenges in Data Protection in Digital Health", promoted by the Latin American Telemedicine University Network (RUTE-AL) on October 20 in virtual format.

The session brought together important names in the universe of both data protection and digital health, such as Luiz Gustavo Kiatake, Director of Institutional Relations of the Brazilian Society of Health Informatics (SBIS); Lorena Donoso, lawyer, and associate professor at the University of Chile and legal advisor to REUNA; and Nelson Remolina, associate professor at the Law Faculty of the University of the Andes, in Colombia, who opened the session with the presentation “Radiography of Data Protection in Ibero-America”.

In his presentation, Remolina shared the state of data protection policies in the region and highlighted the relevance of the discussion at a time when data has gained great importance. “Data is the most important asset of our society, and for this reason, we must treat it ethically and professionally, in a way that protects the human rights of third parties,” he stressed.

In this regard, Luis Gustavo Kiatake added that this imperative also applies to data management in the health sector. According to the SBIS director, the essential aspects of health information security are integrity, authorship, traceability, and confidentiality, which must be properly addressed at both national and international levels.

For Kiatake, the NRENs and RedCLARA itself can play a fundamental role in promoting the security of digital health data between countries in the region. “With the knowledge they have of each country's realities, the networks can plan the governance of the application of technological tools - such as digital certifications - for data exchange,” he explained.

Kiatake also shared Brazil's experience with its National Health Data Network (RNDS), the national platform for interoperability (data exchange) in the health sector, which will be established in 2020. The RNDS is a program of the Brazilian Federal Government for the digital transformation of the national health system and aims to promote the exchange of information between the points of the health network, enabling the transition and continuity of care in the public and private sectors.

The event concluded with the presentation of Lorena Donoso, Legal Advisor of REUNA, the Chilean Advanced Network, who presented the paper "International regulation of clinical records, from the perspective of interoperability and data protection".

The webinar "Challenges in Data Protection in Digital Health" recording will be available in the coming days on the RUTE-AL webpage, on the RedCLARA website.

RUTE-AL is the University Telemedicine Network of Latin America, an initiative of the RNIEs of the region, which seeks to expand and strengthen scientific and educational collaboration in health in Latin America through the implementation of collaborative activities.

The initiative is based on the experience of the Brazilian University Telemedicine Network (RUTE). For more information about RUTE-AL, please visit https://redclara.net/index.php/es/colaboracion/conozca/red-universitaria-de-telemedicina-de-america-latina-rute-al