PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET
GU Ref No: 2023/815
Who is conducting the research?
This study is being conducted by A/Prof Kylie Vuong, Dr Dianne Moses, Prof Kay Brumpton and Ms Crystal Au-Yeung from the School of Medicine and Dentistry at Griffith University, Dr Kate Johnston from Gold Coast Health, and Dr Sophie Vasiliadis from The Royal Children's Hospital.
Why is the research being conducted?
Australia’s general practice workforce shortage is contributing to serious workload pressures, burnout, and healthcare inequalities. This is unfolding alongside the pursuit of new career directions among GPs, both during vocational training and after vocational registration.
We aim to investigate why GPs leave the discipline to pursue alternative career paths, and how we can improve GP retention.
What you will be asked to do
Your participation in this involve:
- Pre-interview questionnaire
You will be asked to complete a questionnaire on your background information including demographic, your current work experience and your previous GP experience. You do not need to answer every question unless you wish to do so. The questionnaire will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.
- Individual interview
You will be invited to a semi-structured interview, which can be conducted either face-to-face or online on Microsoft Teams. We will discuss your experiences in vocational training programs and general practice, the reasons that led you to leave the discipline and ways for encouraging GPs to return to the discipline. The interview will be audio recorded and transcribed. The transcripts will not contain identifying information. We anticipate this can be completed in 45 minutes.
The basis by which participants will be selected
You are eligible if you have worked in general practice as either a vocational GP, non-vocational GP, or a GP trainee and have already left the discipline.
Risks and benefits to you
There are no foreseeable risks associated with participation in this research. You will be able to opt out of this study at any time, without the need to provide any justifications. However, mental health support is available from Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) on 1300 419 495 and Lifeline: 13 11 14
You may not directly benefit from your participation in this project. However, you will be contributing towards efforts to improve GP retention and recruitment in Australia.
Your Personal Information
What is Personal Information?
Personal information is defined as information or an opinion, including information or an opinion forming part of a database, whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion. Personal Information can be almost any information that is associated with an identifiable living individual. It can include a name, address, date of birth, gender, correspondence, audio recordings, images, alpha-numerical identifiers and combinations of these.
How are we going to use your Personal Information?
Personal information will be used to contact you to schedule your interview. After that, contact information will be deleted, and other personal information (e.g., your age, profession, your interview transcript) will be labelled with a code. No personal information will be shared with a third party, and all dissemination will report aggregated findings and deidentified quotations.
Who are we going to give this Personal Information to?
Access to information will be protected; only members of the research team will have access to data collected during the study. This data will be de-identified with Griffith University maintaining control over the mechanisms to reidentify.
How will this Personal Information be stored?
The research data will be stored for a period of 5 years. Paper-based data, such as interview field notes, will be stored in locked cabinets in locked rooms within University premises. Electronic data will be stored in folders within the University cloud systems (sometimes outside of Australia); this will be password protected with two factor authentication. Only the research team members who are staff at Griffith University will have password access to these folders. The University has entered into arrangements that protect the privacy of this data. Any data stored outside of Australia may be subject to compulsory access through the process of law, under the relevant jurisdiction in which it is stored.
Your participation is voluntary
Your participation is voluntary. Should you agree to participate, but subsequently change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the project at any time. However, it would not be possible to remove any data which has been de-identified for analysis.
Questions / further information
Should you have any questions regarding the project or matters concerning your involvement, please feel free to contact the research team. In the first instance, you can contact Crystal Au-Yeung on email: c.au-yeung@griffith.edu.au
Feedback to you
It is intended that the overall findings and interpretation of the results of this research will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Participants will have access to a summary of the results of this research if requested (e.g. by email).
The ethical conduct of this research
Griffith University conducts research in accordance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. If you have any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of the research project you should contact the Manager, Research Ethics on 3735 4375 or research-ethics@griffith.edu.au
Griffith University Privacy Statement – Ethical Research
The conduct of this research involves the collection, access, storage and/or use of your identified personal information. The information collected is confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent, except to meet government, legal or other regulatory authority requirements. A de-identified copy of this data may be used for other research purposes, including publishing openly (e.g. in research journal articles). However, your anonymity will at all times be safeguarded. For further information consult the University’s Privacy Plan at http://www.griffith.edu.au/aboutgriffith/plans-publications/griffith-university-privacy-plan or telephone (07) 3735 4375.
