PHC RIS Data Collection and Privacy Policy

The following data collection and privacy policy has been developed in reference to the principles and guidelines set out in the Information Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (www.privacy.gov.au/publications/ipps.html), and the Standard elements for all privacy statements proposed by ESOMAR and MRS listed on the WebSM website: (www.websm.org/index.php?fl=2&lact=1&bid=11609&parent=35).

• The Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (PHC RIS) contributes to improved primary health care policy and practice. The service aims to increase the exchange of information about Australian general practice, primary health care research, evaluation and development, between primary health care researchers, policy advisors and the national network of the Divisions of General Practice.
• PHC RIS is an independent academic unit based at Flinders University in South Australia in the Department of General Practice and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
• For more information about PHC RIS, refer to the following link www.phcris.org.au

• Information is sought from Divisions of General Practice about their activities, infrastructure, and membership, as well as planning and reporting information, particularly in relation to National Performance Indicators.
• This information is sought for the purposes of providing valuable information regarding Divisions' activities for Divisions of General Practice, funders, policy makers, researchers and other stakeholders interested in building relationships with Divisions.

• In line with their funding agreement, Divisions of General Practice are contractually required to complete and submit the Annual Survey of Divisions (ASD), and the Annual and six month reports for data collation and analysis by PHC RIS.
• PHC RIS receives Divisions' data in both electronic and hard copy format:
  • Annual and six month reports are submitted to the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing State and Territory Offices for review, and are then forwarded to PHC RIS.
  • Annual Survey of Divisions is administered solely by PHC RIS.
• PHC RIS operates a helpdesk to assist respondents with any problems or queries they may have in relation to filling out the ASD or complying with the planning and reporting framework.

• Once information has been received by PHC RIS, it is transferred into a secure database for the analysis purposes. Security measures have been put in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of information received by PHC RIS. Access to stored information is restricted to relevant PHC RIS employees, for data analysis and quality control purposes only.
• Some systems may retain information that links the current user or visitor to the information entered or requested. This information may be used for administrative purposes.
• Data stored by PHC RIS will not be used or disclosed for any commercial purposes.

• PHC RIS recognises and respects the importance of confidentiality in the research process. However, within the brief of facilitating the flow of a broad range of Divisions' information among various stakeholders, specific Division information is often required. The following points show how the privacy of responses is managed in different contexts:
  • Annual Survey of Divisions:
    • Identified data from most sections of the Survey may be provided on request for purposes such as identifying which Divisions are involved in particular activities.
    • Sensitive data (eg. organisational interrelationships, funding) will not be provided in identified format.
  • Annual and Six month reports:
    • It is established that Divisions' Planning and Reporting documents are public documents, to be made readily accessible in published format. Related data and research results are therefore clearly identified and identifiable.

• Once the data has been analysed and documented, selected research results are displayed on the PHC RIS Website. Examples of this may include:
• Activities of Divisions web page (submitted Planning and Reporting documents available)
• Published ASD reports (hard copies available)
• National summary of Divisions' Annual Reports
• Online Benchmarking Tool
• Online Excel spreadsheet of key statistics
• Online browsable table and graphs.
• Research results are also used for a range of PHC RIS functions, for example responding to stakeholder requests for information, publicising key research and practice issues, promoting activities and key achievements of Divisions etc.