Project proposal assessment
The National Integrated Health Services Information (NIHSI) has transitioned to the National Health Data Hub (NHDH).
NHDH project proposals are assessed for approval against the NHDH Governance Protocols. Assessment is undertaken by the NHDH data custodian, an AIHW Ethics Committee delegate and the NHDH Advisory Committee.
A number of issues may trigger a project to be further scrutinised and not approved or additional context or amendments may be sought from the Project lead. These include:
As per the NHDH Governance Protocols, outputs from NHDH cannot be used for state/territory comparative system performance indicators. Projects that suggest state and territories will be ranked, benchmarked, or measured against each other based on data available within NHDH will not be approved. However, it is possible to release state and territory level data from NHDH to better understand the variations, impacts and benefits of different model of care. Public reports must not name any jurisdiction without seeking approval prior to release.
Project proposals need to describe how the project will satisfy the AIHW’s requirements for community expectations as detailed in the documentAIHW Ethics Committee: Guidance for applicants regarding community expectations [Doc 115kB]. Project proposals should explain the engagement and consultation activities undertaken by the project team, including working groups and advisory groups that inform the project team during the life of the project.
Project proposals should address how external advice from expert First Nations people is being sought and how appropriate consultation and oversight is provided during the life of the project.
Additional approval is required from the Department of Veterans’ affairs (DVA) for projects that use RPBS data with the intention to analyse the serving defence and DVA client population. Project proposals benefit from clearly describing how RPBS data will be used, and whether the RPBS data is being reported separately to PBS data or combined with PBS data for an overall picture of medications dispensed to the Australian population.
As part of access to NHDH, project leaders sign a conditions of use agreement including a retention and document destruction agreement. As such, each project proposal should have a clear completion date. Projects that describe repeating analysis with future years of data will be asked to clarify the project end date. Project extensions can be sought and approved if needed.
NHDH use case: approved project example
Proposed project aim: to use linked data to explore the outcomes of patient journey of hospitalised hip fracture patients. Analysis aims to explore patient journeys and outcomes at the state/territory level, which will not be used for performance or compliance reporting. Analysis will also be undertaken by remoteness areas, age groups and sex.
Datasets requested for linkage: hospitals data (ED, Admitted Care), MBS, PBS, Aged Care.
Assessment considerations: the project will deliver a public good in the form of improved outcomes for patients with hip fracture. The research topic is in line with permissible use of NHDH regarding informing government health service planning, monitoring and evaluation and health policy development.
Outcome of assessment: the project proposal was approved.
NHDH use case: not approved project example
Proposed project aim: to use linked data to identify patterns of fraudulent or excessive use of the health system by practitioners and consumers.
Datasets requested for linkage: hospitals data (ED, Admitted Care), MBS and PBS
Assessment considerations: the project was assessed as not meeting the public good criterion. Although there is no overt intent to identify individuals or population sub-groups and purports to improve effectiveness of health systems, the proposed research was considered to be primarily for administrative and compliance purposes, which is not a permissible use under the NHDH protocols.
Outcome of assessment: the project proposal was rejected.