Privacy

For patients

Once you are registered as a patient at Radboud university medical center, we will process your personal data. By processing, we mean that we will perform certain actions with your data, such as storing it, adding to it, providing it to legally entitled recipients, and destroying it after the retention period has expired. Are you going to be treated at Radboud university medical center? If so, then we will process the medical information in your patient file. We do that on the basis of a treatment agreement, legal obligation, or some other type of agreement.
 

What and why?

We want to provide you with the best possible healthcare and treatment. In order to do that, we require the appropriate personal data. For example, we need your medical information, which includes information from your physician about you and your health, the results of your examinations, the diagnosis, and the treatment plan. We also require other personal data, such as your name and address, date of birth, and citizen service number (BSN). We need this information in order to confirm your identity. This allows us to be certain of your identity and ensures that we do not confuse you with another patient.
 
We only process the data necessary to provide you with great healthcare, to improve the care that we provide, and to include in our own administration. We retain your data for a minimum of 15 years and that period begins once we have stopped providing you with healthcare. We also comply with the Archiefwet (archiving act). In doing so, we retain specific information from your medical file for 115 years and that period begins at your date of birth. We refer to these as “key documents”. These documents include your discharge letters, operation reports, anesthesia reports, the results of pathological examinations, and first-aid reports. Will you be treated in accordance with the Wet Bijzondere Opnemingen in Psychiatrische Ziekenhuizen (BOPZ - special admissions at psychiatric hospitals act)? If so, we will retain your data for up to five years. If there is no reason to retain your data for longer, then we will destroy it.
 
It is our job to protect your data. All healthcare providers and other employees who are directly involved in your treatment are obligated to maintain confidentiality. This means that they are not permitted to share your data with others. However, it is sometimes necessary to share your data with others. If we plan on doing this, we will first request your consent. In some situations, we are legally obligated to share your data with others, e.g. with your health insurance provider, the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate and national quality records.
 

Scientific research

Radboud university medical center is an academic medical center. This means that we not only provide healthcare, we also conduct scientific research. In certain cases, we may use your data without your consent for scientific research. These instances involve medical information and physical samples that we have acquired during your hospital visit, examinations, or treatment. If you do not want us to use this data, you can file an objection against it with your healthcare provider. In all other situations, we will request your consent for participation in scientific research. Our website contains more information on the use of medical information and physical samples and scientific research.
 

Access to your data

You have the right to access your personal data and review your entire Radboud university medical center patient file. You can view most off this data yourself via mijnRadboud. Need to see more? If so, ask your physician for access to the data. The physician is not permitted to decline your request. However, your physician may separate and withhold certain parts of your file if they contain information about someone else, such as a family member.
You are also entitled to a copy of your file and your x-rays. Our website contains more information on copies of your file or x-rays.
 

Changing or adding to your data

Is your data incorrect? If so, it is important to have it changed, e.g. a change of address if you move or an error on our part regarding your date of birth or name. You can also add information to your file yourself. For example, you can add your own impression of the healthcare that you received or the results of a second opinion. If you would like to change or add to your data, request this from your treating physician, department, or the Executive Board.
 

Destroying data

You can request that part or all of your file be destroyed. A request to destroy data can be sent to your treating physician, department, or the Executive Board. Request letters to the Executive Board should be sent to:
 
Radboud university medical center
Executive Board Secretarial Office
Address number 630
Postbus 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen
 
We will then ask that you sign a statement. Upon destruction of your data, your request and statement will be the only data retained in your file. In principle, we will partly or entirely destroy your file. However, sometimes we will not be able to destroy it. Examples of this include when retaining your file is important for others or if we are legally obligated to retain your file. Of course, we will always let you know why we cannot destroy your file in those situations.
 

Complaints

We do our best to handle your data carefully. Are you dissatisfied with the way in which we process your personal data? If so, you can submit a complaint about it to Radboud university medical center. You can also contact our data protection officer.
 

For children

At Radboud university medical center’s Amalia children’s hospital, we do everything we can to make you feel better again. We want to be able to take good care of you. To do that, we have to know a few things about you. These are things like what your name is, where you live, and when you were born. This is how we know exactly who you are. It means that we will not mix you up with somebody else. We also want to know how you are feeling, what the results of your examinations are, and what kind of illness you have. We call of these things personal data. We write them down and then we put them in a folder on our computer. That folder is your file at our hospital. We keep carefully protect that folder and all the information inside it. Only the people taking care of you can look inside it.

Are you under 12 years old?

If so, your parents are allowed to look in your file. Do you want to see it too? If you do, ask your parents. In your file, your parents can read what we have written about you. Is something in the file wrong? Did your address change because you moved? If it did, your parents can ask us to change it. We keep your file for 15 years or more: we start counting from your 18th birthday. We even keep some things for 115 years. That’s a pretty long time, right? We have to do this, because the law says so. Your parents can ask us to get rid of your data. The doctor will always check whether this is the right choice for you. Sometimes, we need to keep your data in order to keep taking good care of you.

Are you between 12 and 16 years old?

If so, you can look at your file yourself. You can ask the doctor to do this. Your parents are also allowed to look in your file. An example of this is when the doctor and your parents are choosing the treatment that you will receive. Is there something incorrect in your data? If there is, you and your parents can request that we change it. For example, we might have written down the wrong address. You and your parents are also able to ask us to destroy your data. The doctor will always check whether your data can be destroyed. Sometimes that is not possible, because the law might require us to keep your data. The doctor will always explain why we cannot destroy your data. We keep your file for 15 years or more: we start counting from your 18th birthday. We even keep some things for 115 years. We have to do this because the law requires us to.

Are you over 16 years old?

If so, you can look at your file yourself. Your parents are only allowed to be given information about you if you give us your consent first. Is there something incorrect in your data? If there is, you can request that we change it. For example, we might have written down the wrong address. You can also ask us to destroy your data. Your parents are not allowed to do this for you. The doctor will always check whether your data can be destroyed. Sometimes that is not possible, because the law might require us to keep your data. The doctor will always explain why we cannot destroy your data. Typically, we keep your file for 15 years or more: we start counting from your 18th birthday. We keep some data for 115 years, starting from your date of birth.

For you and your child

Once your child is registered as a patient at Radboud university medical center, we will process their personal data. By processing, we mean that we will perform certain actions with the data, such as storing it, adding to it, providing it to legally entitled recipients, and destroying it after the retention period has expired. Is your child going to be treated at Radboud university medical center? If so, then we will process your child’s data and include it in their patient file. We do that on the basis of a treatment agreement, legal obligation, or some other type of agreement.

What and why?

We want to provide your child with the best possible healthcare and treatment. In order to do that, we require the appropriate personal data for your child. These include your child’s medical information, such as the information that you or your child provide when speaking with the physician, results from examinations, what illness(es) your child has, and the treatment plan. We also require other personal data, such as your child’s name and address, date of birth, and citizen service number (BSN). We need this information in order to confirm your child’s identity. This allows us to know exactly who your child is and prevents us from confusing your child with another patient.
 
We only process the data necessary to provide your child with great healthcare, to improve the care that we provide, and to include in our own administration. We retain your child’s data for a minimum of 15 years, starting from their 18th birthday or from the end of their treatment (if that date is later). If there is no reason to retain the data for longer, then we will destroy it. We also comply with the Archiefwet (archiving act). This means that we retain specific data from your child’s medical file for 115 years, starting from your child’s date of birth. We refer to these as “key documents”. These documents include your discharge letters, operation reports, anesthesia reports, the results of pathological examinations, and first-aid reports. Will your child be treated in accordance with the Wet Bijzondere Opnemingen in Psychiatrische Ziekenhuizen (BOPZ - special admissions at psychiatric hospitals act)? If so, then we will save your child’s data for up to five years.
 
It is our job to protect your child’s data. All healthcare providers and other employees who are directly involved in your child’s treatment are obligated to maintain confidentiality. This means that they are not permitted to share your child’s data with others. However, it is sometimes necessary to share your child’s data with others. Before we do this, we will first request consent from you or your child. In some situations, we are legally obligated to share your child’s data with others, e.g. with your health insurance provider and the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate.

Decision making and rights

Depending on your child’s age, you as a parent may have certain rights and options when making decisions for your child.

Is your child under 12 years old?
If so, you as the parent or legal representative are responsible to make decisions about your child. You can also exercise the rights of your child. This means that you can access your child’s data and request a copy of their medical file. You may also ask us to change, add to, or destroy your child’s data. To authorize the destruction of any part of the file, we will ask you to sign a statement.

Is your child between 12 and 16 years old?
If so, your child is able to participate in the decision-making regarding the healthcare we provide. If we require consent for anything, we will request it from both you and your child (double consent). Your child is also allowed to look in their file on their own. As a parent or representative, you also have the right to access the information you need to provide your consent. Do you want your child’s data to be changed or destroyed? If so, then you and your child must provide consent for that. To authorize the destruction of any part of the file, we will ask you and your child to sign a statement.
 
Is your child over 16 years old?
If so, your child is able to make decisions on their own and provide their own consent if we request it. Your child is also able to look at their file on their own and have the data changed or destroyed. You are not permitted to do this as the parent. Do you still want to see your child’s file? You need permission from your child to do so. Your child must submit a signed request to us, stating that you as parents have their consent to access the file. To authorize the destruction of any part of the file, we will ask you and your child to sign a statement.

Scientific research

Radboud university medical center is an academic medical center. This means that we not only provide healthcare, we also conduct scientific research. In certain cases, we may use your child’s data for scientific research without the consent of you or your child. These instances involve medical information and physical samples that we have acquired during your hospital visit, examinations, or treatment. If you or your child do not consent to the use of this data, then you can file an objection with your child’s healthcare provider. In all other situations, we will request the consent of you or your child for participation in scientific research. Our website contains more information on the use of medical information and physical samples as well as on scientific research.

Access to your data

Do you want access to the personal data and patient file of your child? This may or may not be allowed depending on the age of your child. In some situations, only your child has the right to access their data. The section above entitled “decision-making and rights” contains specific information on the rights of you and your child.
 
Most data and part of the patient file can be viewed by you or your child via our digital patient portal mijnRadboud. Need to see more? If so, request access from the treating physician. The physician is not permitted to decline your request. However, the physician may separate and withhold certain parts of the file if they contain information about someone else, such as a family member.
 
You or your child are also entitled to a copy of the file and the x-rays. Our website contains more information on copies of files or x-rays.

Changing or adding to your data

Do you want to change or add to your child’s data? This may or may not be allowed depending on the age of your child. In some situations, only your child has that right. The section above entitled “decision-making and rights” contains specific information on the rights of you and your child.

Is your child’s data incorrect? If so, it is important to have it changed, e.g. a change of address if your child moves or an error on our part regarding your child’s date of birth or name. You or your child can also add something to your child’s file. For example, you can add an impression of the healthcare that your child received or the results of a second opinion. Ask the treating physician or the department your child is in to change or add to your child’s data.

Destroying data

Do you want to destroy your child's data? This may or may not be allowed depending on the age of your child. In some situations, only your child has that right. The section below entitled “The rights of your child depend on their age”, contains specific information on what rights you and your child have.

You and your child can request that your child’s file be partly or entirely destroyed. A request to destroy data can be sent by you or your child to the treating physician, the department your child is in, or the Executive Board. Request letters to the Executive Board should be sent to:
 
Radboud university medical center
Executive Board Secretarial Office
Address number 630
Postbus 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen
 
We will then ask that you or your child sign a statement. Upon destruction of your data, the request and statement will be the only data retained in the file. In principle, we will partly or entirely destroy your child’s file. However, sometimes we will not be able to destroy it. Examples of this include when retaining your child’s file is important for others or if we are legally obligated to retain your child’s file. Of course, we will always let you know why we cannot destroy the file in those situations.

Complaints

We do our best to handle your child’s data carefully. Are you dissatisfied with the way in which we process your child’s personal data? If so, you can submit a complaint about it to Radboud university medical center. You can also contact our data protection officer.
 

For contacts and representatives

Are you a contact or legal representative of a patient at Radboud university medical center? If so, we will process some of your personal data. We only do this because we need to be able to contact you. We store your data in the patient’s file. A minimum retention period of 15 years applies to that file. We do not provide your data to third parties without your consent.
 
As the contact or legal representative of a patient at Radboud university medical center, you are entitled to access your personal data that we process. You are also able to change, add to, or destroy your personal data. You can submit a request for one of these actions to our data protection officer.

Complaints

We do our best to handle your data carefully. Are you dissatisfied with the way in which we process your personal data? If so, you can submit a complaint about it to Radboud university medical center. You can also contact our data protection officer.

For course participants and students

Are you participating in a training program or course at Radboud university medical center? If so, then we will process some of your personal data, such as your name, address, and date of birth. We need this information to confirm your identity and to ensure that we do not confuse you with another student or course participant. We also keep the records of your study results. We carefully protect and secure your data. Your data is only accessible to authorized persons. We do not retain your data for longer than necessary.
 
As a course participant or student, you have the right to access the personal data that we process about you. You are also able to change, add to, or destroy your personal data. You can submit a request for one of these actions to our data protection officer.

Complaints

We do our best to handle your data carefully. Are you dissatisfied with the way in which we process your personal data? If so, you can submit a complaint about it to Radboud university medical center. You can also contact our data protection officer.
 
 

For visitors to the Radboud university medical center website

If you visit the Radboud university medical center website (www.radboudumc.nl), we will process some of your personal data. For example, this occurs if you enter your data when submitting a form on the website. We do not retain your data for longer than necessary. We do not provide your personal data to anyone outside of Radboud university medical center without your consent. More information on how your personal data is processed during a visit to our website can be found in our Cookie Policy.
 
As a visitor to the Radboud university medical center website, you have the right to access the personal data that we process about you. You are also able to change, add to, or destroy your personal data. You can submit a request for one of these actions to our data protection officer.

Complaints

We do our best to handle your data carefully. Are you dissatisfied with the way in which we process your personal data? If so, you can submit a complaint about it to Radboud university medical center. You can also contact our data protection officer.
 

For applicants

Radboud university medical center carefully handles all personal data. If you submit a job application to our organization, we treat your data as confidential. We use your data exclusively for our own recruitment and selection purposes. We do not provide your data to third parties unless it is required in accordance with the law or if you have provided your consent for this.
 
By submitting a job application, you agree to have your personal data processed by Radboud university medical center and will be included in our database. Did you submit a job application, but ultimately did not become an employee at Radboud university medical center? If that is the case, we will anonymize your data within four weeks of your most recent application process, unless you have provided us with express consent to retain your personal data for one year. If that is the case, we will anonymize your data within one year of your most recent application process. Of course, you are always allowed to access or add to your data. You can also have it anonymized sooner. To do this, please send your request to: jobs@radboudumc.nl.
 
Do you have any more questions about how Radboud university medical center handles your personal data? If so, please contact our data protection officer.