Study Privacy Notice (V1.0 060922)
Edinburgh Napier University, as the Data Controller, is providing you with this information to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, as retained in UK law, and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Name of Research Project
The UK perception and experience of the past and /or present nursing experiences and perceptions of potential occupational exposure to cytotoxic drugs
Introduction/Purposes
For nurses to deliver cancer treatment to patients, the delivery requires health and safety regulation because the drugs given are classed as dangerous to an individual’s health, when exposed to them at work. This is either through direct contact, inhaling or ingesting the drug. This study aims to ask cancer nurses what their experiences have been, or their feelings regarding being potentially exposed to these drugs while delivering cancer treatments on a regular daily basis to many patients in their care.
This study will look at other study results, group their results together, to ask specific questions in a survey and individual interviews of cancer nurses. The survey will be designed to send to about two hundred nurses across the UK to complete and return. These questions will cover how and when the nurses use protective equipment to prevent being exposure to toxic drugs. It will also ask about their place of work; staffing levels and number of daily patients requiring treatment, what types of treatment and where is this given, and what devices are used to reduce exposure. This will give a picture of current practice and exposure risk across the UK, to identify any differences between provision in cancer centres and hospitals. To understand this topic more the research team will ask about thirty nurses questions over the telephone to help understand the individual nurses’ thinking and feeling about giving cancer treatments and potential exposure to toxic drugs. By combining the three different approaches within this study: looking at other studies, sending a survey and individual interviews, the research team will be able to understand a more complete picture across the UK. This will allow the research team to give advice to nurses and inform best evidence-based practice that ensures safety in the future.
Legal basis
Our legal basis will be Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR: performance of a task in the public interest/exercise of official duty vested in the Controller by Statutory Instrument No. 557 (S76) of 1993 as amended, e.g. for education and research purposes.
In the event that special category (sensitive) personal data is processed, Article 9(2)(j) will be the legal basis: for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.
Special category personal data may be provided during the research data collection, although we are not specifically asking for this information. We ask participants not to provide any information which may identify others. We will only collect that information necessary for the study and will employ data minimisation techniques such as pseudonymisation and secure/encrypted systems to collect and analyse data. The project has gone through the University research ethics procedures to ensure it complies with the requirements.
Please note that we are not relying on consent as a basis for processing under the GDPR, and our legal basis for processing is therefore distinct from the research ethics-related use of consent in this study.
Whose information is being collected?
We are seeking information from cancer nurses
What type of information is being collected?
In the survey, the personal data we collect will include:
- Age (range, groupings of 10 years);
- Level of qualification (degree, masters or doctoral level);
- Gender (male, female & other);
- NHS region/ cancer alliance in which you work
The survey will gather data on the use of Personal protective equipment and will include some open questions, in which we recognise there is a risk that some personal data will be volunteered, including that about potential side effects from handling chemotherapy drugs.
Interviews: If survey participants choose to participate in Interviews, we will collect a name and email address at this stage (as participants will be contacted this way).
There is again a risk that some personal data will be collected in interviews, either relating to the interviewee or to third parties who could be referred to (directly or indirectly).
Participants are asked not to volunteer identifiable personal data.
How is the information being collected?
Data will be collected using a university approved electronic survey tool and the interviews will be recorded over MS teams.
Personal data will be collected unavoidably as part of the research, but all identifiable data will be removed at the analysis stage.
Who is personal data shared with externally?
The personal data will only be shared within the research team at Edinburgh Napier University by named research project team members, who will have secure access to the project data on University systems.
Recordings of interviews will be shared with a University-approved transcription service (1st Class Secretarial).
Who keeps the information updated?
We would not ordinarily update the research information, as this is a record of a specific moment in time. However, if participants wish to correct any errors in personal data they have provided we will update this to ensure accuracy.
How long is the information kept for?
Recordings of interviews (where applicable) will be deleted once the transcripts have been verified.
Other research personal data will be destroyed within 12 months of the end of the study (approx. December 2024) .
Anonymised transcripts will be kept for up to 10 years, in accordance with the University’s Data Management Policy.
Personal data on consent forms will be retained for up to 6 years from the end of the study.
Will the data be used for any automated decision making?
No
Is information transferred to a third country?
No