ARCHES project (RF-2010-2315604) was promoted by the coordinators of the Italian Society of Medical Statistic and Clinical Epidemiology’s Working Group on Observational Studies, constituting a team of researchers that in 2011 received a financial support from the Ministry of Health and Puglia Region to conduct the research.

The five Operative Units involved in the project are coordinated by and have the following purposes:
 

Principal investigator (UO1) – Paolo Trerotoli
Researcher at the Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari “A. Moro”.
Function: Coordination of the research group, application of results of record linkage and anonimyzation procedure on databases to evaluate reconstruction of individual health history of subjects, and application to model patients flows in different states of pathology and related costs for the health system.
 

UO2- Antonella Zambon
Associate Professor at the University of Milan-Bicocca, Department of Statistic.
Function:To overview the legal aspects when conducting epidemiological studies by means of health electronic databases. The supervision of this issue will be supported by two lawyers.
 

UO3– Rosaria Gesuita
Researcher at the Polytechnic University of the Marche, Unit of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Medical School of Ancona.
Function: Definition of a form to conduct a census on the Health Databases and other Administrative Electronic Database in Italy; diffusion of census results and creation of a network of subjects that work on Health Databases, and epidemiological use of Health Databases.

UO4– Simona Villani
Associate Professor at the University of Pavia, Department. of Psychological, Behavioural and Applied Health Science, Sec. Epidemiology and Medical Statistic.
Function: Organization of a Consensus Conference for guidelines elaboration on the use of Administrative Electronic Database and Health Databases for epidemiological purpose and health policy.

UO5  - Vincenzo Guardabasso
MD at the University of Catania, Service of Internal Control, Hospital of Catania.
Function: Definition and application of record linkage procedures to join information among Administrative Electronic Databases.