Invitation and Participant Information

Invitation
You are invited to participate in a qualitative research study exploring the experiences of registered nurses currently employed or previously employed in the last 7 years in either community or residential aged care in a rural or regional location in Australia. Before you decide whether to participate in this study, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take the time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. You are encouraged to contact Deborah Magee by email (dmagee@csu.edu.au) if you wish to ask questions before you consent to participate. Whether or not you decide to take part, your decision will not disadvantage you in any way.
Researchers
This study is being undertaken by Deborah Magee, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate at Charles Sturt University. Deborah Magee is the Primary Researcher conducting this study under the supervision of Professor Karen Francis, Associate Professor Marguerite Bramble, and Dr Holly Randell-Moon. Charles Sturt University is a multi-campus public university located across regional New South Wales.

What is the purpose of this study?
This research project aims, through discussion with registered nurses, to better understand the benefits and challenges of working in community or residential aged care. As Charles Sturt is a regional university, this project focusses on registered nurses currently or previous employed in rural or regional Australia. This project is particularly interested in learning how organisational culture can influence the experience of staff and how this may promote teamwork and a person centred approach, thus optimising cultures of care.

Who can participate in this study?
To participate in this study, you must be currently employed or previously employed as a registered nurse in the last 7 years in either community or residential aged care in a rural or regional location in Australia*. The researchers are interested in talking to registered nurses whose work is clinically focused and registered nurses in non-clinical roles such as management, education, or organisational governance.
*To check if your location is within the regional or rural classification (MM2 to MM5) please consult the interactive locator map at: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/health-workforce-locator  (select Modified Monash Model - 2019)

What does this study involve?
If you decide to be involved, you will need to complete the consent process. On completing the consent, you will be asked to participate in a semi-structured interview at a time and location convenient to you. You can choose whether you meet in person or via a Zoom meeting.  You agree to the interview being recorded to enable the descriptions you provide to be transcribed and analysed. Interviews are intended to be no more than one hour in length and will involve open-ended questions about your experience of working in aged care, focussing on your reflections and understandings. Following your interview, you may contact Deborah Magee if you would like to review the interview transcript or offer further comment or clarification.
Are there risks and benefits to me taking part in this study?
Your participation in this research project will contribute valuable knowledge to this area of practice. Exploring nurses’ experiences working in the aged care sector allows this research to centre the direct voices of nurses to research and policy discussions of their workload and workplaces. The findings will highlight the positive aspects of working in aged care. It will also highlight how organisational cultures and cultures of care influence the experience of staff and foster or detract from teamwork, effective communication, and person centred care. There may be benefits in due course to both staff and residents/consumers of aged care services as a body of knowledge develops that may influence practice.

Risks to participants may include feelings of discomfort due to discussing previous experiences. You are free to withdraw your participation in the research before, during and up to two weeks after the interview date. You are encouraged to contact any of the following support services:
How is this study being paid for?
Deborah Magee receives a scholarship through the Ageing Well in Rural and Regional Australia Research Group at Charles Sturt University.

Will taking part in this study cost me anything, and will I be paid?
There are no costs or reimbursements involved with participation.

What if I do not want to take part in this study?
Participation in this research project is entirely your choice. Only those people who give their informed consent will be included. Whether or not you decide to participate is your decision and will not disadvantage you in any way.

What if I participate and want to withdraw later?
You may withdraw without penalty from this research project before, during and for up to two weeks after the interview date, and you will not be required to provide an explanation for your decision. If you withdraw from the project your interview recording and transcript will be destroyed and will not be included in the thesis or publications resulting from the study. Whether or not you withdraw from the project is your decision and will not disadvantage you in any way.
How will my confidentiality be protected?
All information that you provide is confidential. Your real name will not be used. You will be given a pseudonym that will be used in the thesis and any publications resulting from the study. You will not be asked questions in the interview that relate to the identity of current or former employers. All recorded and transcribed data will be de-identified. A qualified transcriber will type up the audio recording of your interview, and this person will be bound by confidentiality rules. Apart from the transcriber, the only other people to have access to this information will be the research team who are also bound by the same confidentiality rules. The de-identified research material will be stored electronically, according to Charles Sturt University Research Data Management Policy, on a password protected platform. At the completion of the study, all the de-identified research material obtained from the study will be stored electronically by Charles Sturt University in a central storage facility for a period of five years after which it may be destroyed.  The data entered into this online form is protected under SurveyMonkey's privacy policy and security statement (click on the word links for more information).

What will happen after the interview?
The data from your interview will be included as part of Deborah Magee’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis. You will receive a summary of the results after the conclusion of the study. The findings from this study may also be presented at a conference or in a manuscript for publication. Your real name will not be used. A pseudonym that will be used in the thesis and in any publications or presentations resulting from the study. The thesis will catalogued on CSU Research Output, an institutional repository that showcases research and scholarly outputs created by CSU staff and students. The de-identified data will be made available for use by other researchers for further research and acknowledged in future work and publications.

What should I do if I want to discuss this study further before I decided?
If you would like further information or have any questions, please contact Deborah Magee (Primary Researcher) by email dmagee@csu.edu.au or Professor Karen Francis (Primary Supervisor) kfrancis@csu.edu.au.
 
Who should I contact if I have concerns about the conduct of this study?
Charles Sturt University’s Human Research Ethics Committee has approved this project [Protocol number: H23884]. If you have any complaints or reservations about the ethical conduct of this project, you may contact the committee through the Ethics and Compliance Unit via the following contact details:
     The Presiding Officer 
     Human Research Ethics Committee
     Ethics and Compliance Unit
     Locked Bag 588
     Wagga Wagga NSW 2678
     Phone: (02) 6933 4213
     Email: ethics@csu.edu.au

Any issues you raise will be treated in confidence and investigated fully and you will be informed of the outcome.
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