The Application Process

Ethics Approval

The Department of Health WA Confidentiality of Health Information Committee (CHIC) has been decommissioned and replaced by the Department of Health WA Human Research Ethics Committee (DOHWA HREC). CHIC had its last meeting on 13th February 2008. The DOHWA HREC will assume responsibility for monitoring all CHIC approved projects and for reviewing all requests for amendments and business arising from CHIC approved projects.

Linkable data may be provided to researchers whose projects have been grafnted ethics clearance from an institutional Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). Approval will also be required from DOHWA HREC where applicants seek:

  • personal identifying information* from Department of Health WA Data Collections and/or the Electoral Roll
  • the creation of new links between data sets
  • Mental Health Information System data
  • Birth Defects Registry Data

*Personal health information is information or opinions that relate to the health of a person where the identity of a person is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained from the information. For a more detailed explanation see the Practice Code For the Use of Personal Health Information. All project personnel who will have access to personal health information provided by the DOHWA must enter into a Confidentiality Agreement for researchers or Confidentiality Acknowledgement for WA public sector employees.

See the DOHWA HREC website for information about the new process, application form and documentation and the DOHWA HREC Application for Ethical Review (131kB). See 2008 DOHWA HREC Meeting Schedule for the next meeting date. Contact for the new committee will remain the same as for CHIC.

The DOHWA HREC is constituted in compliance with the 2007 NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research and is registered with the NHMRC.

For information regarding the DOHWA HREC please contact the HREC Executive Officer at HREC@health.wa.gov.au or on +61 8 9222 4278.

If the linkable data requested is to perform health-related research involving Indigenous people, ethics approval must also be sought from the Western Australian Aboriginal Health Information and Ethics Committee (WAAHIEC). In particular, projects should be submitted to WAAHIEC if one or more of the following apply:

  • Aboriginality is a key determinant
  • Data collection is explicitly directed at Indigenous people
  • Indigenous people, as a group, will be examined in the results
  • The information has an impact on one or more Aboriginal communities
  • Aboriginal health funds are a source of funding

Completing the Application Form

The application form for WA linked health data can be seen at the WA Data Application Form page.

**Please Note** There have been recent changes to the application and approval process to obtain information from unit record data.

Expression of interest

Researchers and data analysts wanting to obtain information from unit record data from one or more DOHWA data collections are now recommended to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) before applying for either institutional ethics and/or the DOHWA Human Research Ethics Committee (DOHWA HREC) approval. This is strongly suggested prior to applying for funding.

The EOI will be provided to the relevant Data Managers. They will then advise whether the datasets and the variables requested are appropriate for the described purposes of the study. They can also give valuable guidance on issues such as the availability and quality of the data. If necessary managers will discuss the feasibility of your request with you and may suggest changes.

Feedback from an EOI will be approximately two to three weeks.

Where new linkages or linked data are required the Project Manager with the Data Linkage Branch will facilitate this process of feedback. Where access to a single dataset is requested the DOHWA HREC Executive Officer will facilitate the feedback process.

Applicants do not need to complete the signature section or the Confidentiality Agreements when submitting an EOI. The changes made from the feedback can be incorporated into the EOI document to become your formal Application for Data form.

Please refer to module 1 at the WA Data Application Form page for the forms.

Submit EOI electronically to DataServices@health.wa.gov.au and also include data services forms and variable lists.

Application for Data form

After consulting with the relevant data managers your EOI can be amended and/or submitted, including all the necessary signatures as an Application for Data.

Your Application for Data request will be formally reviewed by the appropriate data managers in order to provide advice to the Director General's delegate on release of the data.

Please refer to module 2 at the WA Data Application Form page for the forms.

If you are applying for:

  • personal identifying information* from Department of Health WA Data Collections
  • the creation of new links between data sets
  • Mental Health Information System data
  • Birth Defects Registry Data

You will require ethics approval from the DOHWA HREC - see module 5 at the WA Data Application Form page.

For some categories of data, such as aggregated data or non-identifiable data extracted using existing links, approval from an institutional HREC external to the Department of Health is sufficient.

Data Services & Variable lists

The data service forms and variable lists (see module 3 & 4 at the WA Data Application Form page) are required to be submitted with an EOI or Application for Data.

Submitting the Application for Data

Where DOHWA HREC is required:

A completed application form can be sent to:

DOHWA HREC Executive Officer
Information Management and Reporting
Department of Health WA
1st Floor, C Block
189 Royal St, East Perth, WA 6004

Please ensure that 1 original and 14 copies of the following are included:

  • Application for Data form (including data services forms, variable lists & supporting documentation e.g. participation information sheets, consent forms & information about data collections required outside of DOHWA)
  • DOHWA Application for Ethical Review
  • Detailed research proposal/protocol (this is in addition to the brief outline included in section 3 of the DOHWA Application for Data form).

Where other HREC approvals have been obtained please provide one copy only of the current approval letter with your application package.

IMPORTANT: In addition, each listed analyst on the project must sign a Confidentiality Agreement/Acknowledgment for Researchers or WA public sector employees. Each original signed copy of the Confidentiality Agreement/Acknowledgment must be included with the above requirements (14 copies are not required of each agreement/acknowledgment instead only the original copy for each analyst is required.) Once signed by the DOHWA representative copies of the signed agreements will be returned to the Applicant.

NOTE: Please ensure the Indemnity forms (last page) on the DOHWA Application for data has been read, understood and signed by the Institutional Officer authorised to provide the indemnity.

Where DOHWA HREC not required:

A completed application form can be sent to:

Data Services
Information Management and Reporting
Department of Health WA
1st Floor, C Block
189 Royal St, East Perth, WA 6004

Please ensure one copy of each of the following are included:

  • Original with signatures Application for Data form (including data services forms, variable lists & supporting documentation e.g. participation information sheets, consent forms & information about data collections required outside of DOHWA)
  • Evidence of a current institutional HREC approval for the project.

Also include the original & signed Confidentiality Agreement/Acknowledgment for Researchers or WA public sector employees for all listed analysts.

NOTE: Please ensure the Indemnity forms (last page) on the DOHWA Application for data has been read, understood and signed by the Institutional Officer authorised to provide the indemnity.

 

What happens once an Application Form is received?

Over the coming months the processing of applications will be revised due to the EOI concept being implemented. The EOI is designed to streamline processes and allow for a process of feedback between the researcher and the data managers prior to applying for and obtaining HREC approval. Data linkage projects will be handled by the Project Manager, Trenna Rowe and many processes will remain the same.