Participant Information Sheet
Health/Social Science Research - Adult providing own consent
Westmead Hospital
Title
Defining and validating personality profiles of
Australian Health Care Workers to assist the
development of more effective educational strategies
Short Title
Protocol Number
Project Sponsor
ColourGrid
Version 3.0
Hand Hygiene Australia
Coordinating Principal Investigator/
Principal Investigator
Professor Lindsay Grayson
Professor Lyn Gilbert, Professor Jonathan Iredell
Associate Investigator(s)
Dr. Caitlin Keighley, Dr. Lucy Somerville, Dr. Khai Lin
Huang, Charles Xuereb, Dr. Katherine Bond
Westmead Hospital
Location
Part 1 What does my participation involve?
1
Introduction
You are invited to take part in this research project, which is called ColourGrid; Defining and
validating personality profiles of Australian Health Care Workers to assist the development of
more effective educational strategies. You have been invited because as a staff member of this
hospital you are a potential participant, since we are hoping to collect a sample of
questionnaires from different categories of hospital staff from around Australia.
This Participant Information Sheet tells you about the research project. It explains the processes
involved with taking part. Knowing what is involved will help you decide if you want to take part
in the research.
Please read this information carefully. Ask questions about anything that you don’t understand
or want to know more about. Before deciding whether or not to take part, you might want to talk
about it with a relative, friend or local health worker.
Participation in this research is voluntary. If you don’t wish to take part, you don’t have to.
If you decide you want to take part in the research project, you will be asked to provide some
basic information including a contact email address. A link to complete the questionnaire will be
sent out to this email address. By providing us with this information and then following the link
you are telling us that you;
• Understand what you have read
• Consent to take part in the research project
• Consent to be involved in the research described
• Consent to the use of your personal information as described.
ColourGrid Participant Information Sheet/Consent Form Version 3.0 dated 13 October 2014
Page 1 of 7
This Patient Information Form is yours to keep.
2
What is the purpose of this research?
Hand hygiene refers to either hand washing or hand disinfection using alcohol hand rub. It is an
important way of preventing infections in hospitals and should be performed by all hospital staff
before and after they come into contact with a patient or a patient’s surroundings.
Despite education programs to increase compliance with hand hygiene amongst hospital staff,
some groups of hospital staff continue to have low rates of compliance. Some staff are
particularly bad at compliance and despite educational programs, their behaviours appear to be
difficult to change.
ColourGrid is a form of personality profile that visually depicts one’s personality using colours
and has been used in the past as a marketing and advertising tool. It is run by a private
company XAX Pty Ltd. A ColourGrid can be created using information from a brief
questionnaire, or it can also be predicted based on basic, non identifiable demographic
information such as age, gender, post code, suburb, work category and full time/part time
status. We plan to look at the ColourGrid profiles of different groups of hospital staff to see if
there are different pattern amongst different groups i.e. doctors have a unique ColourGrid
profile. We also plan how well this corresponds to the ColourGrid created using demographic
information and whether these ColourGrid’s are accurate when compared to the questionnaire
based ColourGrids.
We intend to have individual ColourGrid’s completed on at least 30, or 10% of each category of
hospital staff. The groups are: hospital medical officers, full time senior medical officers,
sessional medical officers, nursing services, medical support services, hotel & allied services
[includes PSAs], ancillary support services [includes allied health] and admin and clerical staff.
We will be doing this at 5 different sites across Australia with Austin Health in Melbourne being
the lead site.
Following this study, the next stage would be to use the information we have obtained to
develop educational strategies and interventions targeted at specific groups, such as doctors.
We are particularly interested at developing strategies to improve the hand hygiene compliance
of doctors in hospitals.
This research has been funded by Hand Hygiene Australia.
3
What does participation in this research involve?
You will be invited to take part in an online questionnaire. You can nominate an email address
for the link to this questionnaire to be sent to. The questionnaire involves answering questions
about colours, some general background information, and some questions about what is
important to you. This will only take a few minutes. The information is non-identifiable and all
information will be kept confidential.
After completing the questionnaire, you will be provided with a brief feedback form about your
personal ColourGrid profile for your own interest. The profiles of all participants will be compiled
together and analysed to see whether there are consistent patterns within groups of hospital
staff.
We will also be looking at what the predicted ColourGrid’s for different groups of hospital staff
are based on basic demographic information to see how accurate this estimate is when
compared to personal ColourGrid’s. This information will be de-identified and analysed as
ColourGrid Participant Information Sheet/Consent Form Version 3.0 dated 13 October 2014
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different entire cohorts of hospital staff. The information we will use to do this include age, post
code/suburb, full time/part time status and labour category. The de-identified demographic
information will be collected separately from the questionnaire information, and it will not be
possible for the investigators to make any links between the email address you supply and
demographic data provided by the hospital.
This research project has been designed to make sure the researchers interpret the results in a
fair and appropriate way and avoids study doctors or participants jumping to conclusions.
Will my information be kept private?
All ColourGrid responses and profiles will be kept confidential and de-identified prior to analysis.
The data will not be used for commercial purposes. The information will be coded in a manner
that will enable them to be re-identified and linked to individual study participants.
To maintain confidentiality of research project participants, identifying data (email address) will
be stored securely in locked offices in the Department of Infectious Diseases.
Only study staff, members of the HREC and regulatory authorities will have access to study
data and participant information. The data will not be used for commercial purposes. Written
data will be destroyed after 7 years.
Results from this research project will be written up for publication in medical journals.
Will I receive payment for being part of this research project?
You will not be paid for your participation in this research.
Will I have to pay anything to be part of this research project?
There is no cost to you to participate in this research.
4
Other relevant information about the research project
There are five hospitals taking part in this project. Researchers from each hospital are
collaborating together to undertake this study. At each site we aim to recruit approximately 240
staff members to complete the ColourGrid questionnaire.
5
Do I have to take part in this research project?
Participation in any research project is voluntary. If you do not wish to take part, you do not have
to. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the
project at a later stage.
Your decision whether to take part or not, or to take part and then withdraw, will not affect your
relationship with the researchers or with your employer.
6
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
We cannot guarantee or promise that you will receive any benefits from your participation in this
research. You will receive a brief feedback form on your personal ColourGrid profile which you
may find interesting.
The results from this research may help improve education of hospital staff surrounding hand
hygiene and this in turn may help to reduce infections acquired in hospitals.
ColourGrid Participant Information Sheet/Consent Form Version 3.0 dated 13 October 2014
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7
What are the possible risks and disadvantages of taking part?
Completing the online questionnaire may be a minor inconvenience and does take a few
minutes to complete.
In completing the questionnaire, there is a very small possibility that you may experience
psychological distress as you consider your responses. However the questions are all quite
general in nature and do not include any sensitive questions.
If you become upset and/or distressed as a result of your participation in the research, the
researcher is able to arrange for counselling or other appropriate support. Any counselling or
support will be provided by staff who are not members of the research team. Alternatively, if you
become distressed or upset would like to talk to someone anonymously, lifeline may be of
assistance:
http://www.lifeline.org.au/ or on phone 13 11 14.
8
What if I withdraw from this research project?
If you do agree to participate, you may withdraw from the project at a later time. If you decide
to withdraw from the project, please notify a member of the research team before you withdraw.
If you do agree to participate, you may only withdraw prior to the submission of the
questionnaire.
9
Could this research project be stopped unexpectedly?
This research project may be stopped unexpectedly for a variety of reasons. These may include
reasons such as unforseen circumstances leading to inability of lead investigators to continue
participation.
10
What happens when the research project ends?
We will be analysing the results as pooled groups. Immediately on completion of your individual
ColourGrid you will be provided with a brief feedback form about your individual profile.
If you wish to be informed about the overall project findings please contact Prof Lindsay
Grayson, Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Hospital (telephone: (03) 9496 6676).
11.
Consent
By providing us with the information requested (hospital site, labour category, preferred email
address and name or preferred identifier) and then following the link that will be sent out to your
nominated email address, you are telling us that:
You have read, or have had this document read to you in a language that you understand, and
you understand the purposes, procedures and risks of this research project as described within
it.
You have had an opportunity to ask questions and are satisfied with the answers you have
received.
You freely agree to participate in this research project, as described.
You understand that you will be given a copy of this document to keep.
ColourGrid Participant Information Sheet/Consent Form Version 3.0 dated 13 October 2014
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Part 2 How is the research project being conducted?
12
What will happen to information about me?
Any information obtained in connection with this research project that can identify you will
remain confidential and will only be used for the purpose of this study. It will only be disclosed
with your permission, except as required by law.
The research information that is collected about you during the study will be accessible by study
staff members. To protect your privacy, these records will be identified not with your name, but
with a code, and stored in locked offices in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Westmead
Hospital. Data that are stored electronically including the questionnaire responses will be
protected with a firewall-protected, password-encrypted database on a password-protected
computer. XAX Pty Ltd have signed a confidentiality clause stating that information obtained will
only be used for the purposes of this study.
Your name and other identifying information that can link you to these records will be known
only to the principal researcher and to study staff members who are involved in the research
project. In any publication and/or presentations, information will be provided in such a way that
you cannot be identified, except with your permission.
In accordance with regulatory guidelines, the information collected will be stored for 7 years at
which point it will be destroyed.
It is anticipated that the results of this research project will be published and/or presented in a
variety of forums. In any publication and/or presentation, information will be provided in such a
way that you cannot be identified, except with your express permission.
In accordance with relevant Australian and/or State privacy and other relevant laws, you have
the right to access the information collected and stored by the researches about you. You also
have the right to request that any information, with which you disagree, can be corrected.
Please contact one of the researches named at the end of this document if you would like
access to your information.
13
Complaints and compensation
If you suffer any distress or psychological injury as a result of this research project, you should
contact the research team as soon as possible. You will be assisted with arranging appropriate
treatment and support.
14
Who has reviewed the research project?
All research in Australia involving humans is reviewed by an independent group of people called
a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC).
The ethical aspects of this research project have been approved by the HREC of Western
Sydney Local Health District.
This project will be carried out according to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in
Human Research (2007). This statement has been developed to protect the interests of people
who agree to participate in human research studies.
ColourGrid Participant Information Sheet/Consent Form Version 3.0 dated 13 October 2014
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15
Who is organising and funding the research?
This research project is being conducted and co-ordinated by Professor Lindsay Grayson.
Professor Lyn Gilbert, Professor Jonathan Iredell. Dr. Caitlin Keighley, Dr. Lucy Somerville, Dr.
Khai Lin Huang and Charles Xuereb are also part of the investigating team.
This study is funded by Hand Hygiene Australia.
Austin Health, Western Sydney Local Health District or XAX Pty Ltd may benefit financially from
this research project if, for example, the project assists Austin Health, Western Sydney Local
Health District or XAX Pty Ltd in any commercial enterprise.
You will not benefit financially from your involvement in this research project even if, for
example, knowledge acquired from your information proves to be of commercial value to Austin
Health, Western Sydney Local Health District or XAX Pty Ltd.
In addition, if knowledge acquired through this research leads to discoveries that are of
commercial value to Austin Health, Western Sydney Local Health District or XAX Pty Ltd, the
researchers or their institutions, there will be no financial benefit to you or your family from these
discoveries.
No member of the research team will receive a personal financial benefit from your involvement
in this research project (other than their ordinary wages).
16
For further information and who to contact:
If you want any further information concerning this project, you can contact any of the following
people:
Name: Professor Lindsay Grayson
Role: Coordinating Principal Researcher
Telephone: (03) 9496 6676 during business hours
Name: Professor Lyn Gilbert
Role: Principle Investigator
Telephone: (02) 9845 6252
Name: Charles Xuereb
Role: Associate Researcher
Telephone: 0412 250 592 during business hours
For complaints:
If you have any complaints about any aspect of the project, the way it is being conducted or any
questions about being a research participant in general, then you may contact:
Name: The Secretary
Western Sydney Local health District Human Research Ethics Committee
Telephone: (02) 9845 8183 during business hours
Email: wslhd-researchoffice@health.nsw.gov.au
Name
Position
Telephone
Email
Margaret Piper
Research Governance Officer
9845 9634
margaret.piper@health.nsw.gov.au
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