Italy Approves Guidelines for Using Patients' Phone Numbers in Healthcare Screening Campaigns

On 12 February 2026, Italy’s Data Protection Authority (Garante per la protezione dei dati) approved guidelines regulating the use of patients' telephone contacts for healthcare screening campaigns. The rules define how healthcare providers may contact patients to promote screening participation, including scenarios where prior privacy notices (informativa) are not provided. The measure applies to Italian healthcare entities and aligns with GDPR requirements for processing personal and health data. Specific technical and procedural safeguards for data handling are outlined, though details remain unspecified in the summary. The decision aims to balance public health outreach with privacy protections.