Project title: AUSLARC PROJECT EVALUATION 

 AUSLARC Evaluation Team Researchers: Dr Cat Kirby, Dr Emmalee Ford, Lisa Vandenberg, and Daile Kelleher 

Institutions: Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia, Sexual Health Victoria, and Family Planning Australia 

About the project

The aim of the project is to increase health practitioner capacity to provide LARC insertion and removal, with free training and travel scholarships for health practitioners across Australia. AUSLARC is delivered by a consortium of Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia (SRHA) primary members, comprising Sexual and Reproductive Health Organisations (SRHO’s) in each state and territory and RACGP. AUSLARC needs to be evaluated to determine the extent to which it met its objectives.

Who is participating?

The AUSLARC evaluation team (listed at the top of this document) are inviting AUSLARC scholarship recipients across Australia to participate in these surveys. This includes health professionals of many types that have been trained, or are about to be trained via state-based Sexual and Reproductive Health Organisations. It’s important for us to gather as many perspectives as possible to report back to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and learn about health professionals’ experiences of the AUSLARC program and its impacts on provision of LARC services

What is involved?

Participation in this study involves answering brief surveys about your experience. This may be at the time of acceptance into the project, and three, six and twelve months after completion of training. You may answer questions about your confidence, experience, and current work practices when it comes to LARCs.

Do I have to take part?

Your participation is voluntary. You can choose not to participate or to stop at any time without giving any reason and without any consequences. Your decision to participate or not will not affect your scholarship or reimbursements as part of the project. It will not affect your relationship with Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia, or any of the other AUSLARC participating institutions. As a registered user on the AUSLARC site, your survey responses, initial registration and optional interview responses will automatically be linked over time via your unique ID key. If you decide to take part and then change your mind later, you are free to withdraw at any time until the time a publication using this research is published. Your linked survey data will be removed from the website. If you change your mind after this survey and wish to withdraw your contribution you can do so by emailing auslarc@srha.org.au or contacting Sexual Health Victoria (03) 9257 0100.

What will happen to my contribution?

Findings from the surveys will be used to inform the evaluation of AUSLARC project implementation and contribute to the limited evidence on improving access to long acting contraceptives across Australia. These findings from the interviews will be reported to the funder, the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The findings may also be presented at conferences, and in research studies by the evaluation team.

What about confidentiality?

Your name or service name will not be used in the report, or in any publications or presentations. We will minimise any reference to your geographical location, and other identifying details. However, because there are a limited number of services in regional locations and LGAs, there is a possibility that on a local level your identity will be apparent to people familiar with health services and service provision in the area. The information will be kept on a password protected computer during the collection and report writing phase, and later stored and disposed of according to SRHA protocols. Data are kept for seven years minimum.

What are the benefits of taking part?

There are no personal benefits to you from participating. However, your feedback and input will be invaluable for informing the implementation of AUSLARC and improving access to long acting reversible contraceptives nationwide.

Will I be at any risk?

It is not expected that there will be any harm to you in any way from participating in this research. However, there is a small risk that you may be identified as having contributed to the research, based on presentation of aggregate deidentified findings about LARC training and service provision within specific health professions and/or regions. We will provide as much anonymity as possible during this period of research, but there is a chance due to the nature of LARC provision by Sexual and Reproductive Health Organisations that information given by you could be identified. This may or may not be seen by you as risky.

What if I have any questions or need more information?

If you have any questions about the study or your participation, please contact a member of the AUSLARC evaluation team, auslarc@srha.org.au or Sexual Health Victoria (03) 9257 0100.

What if I have complaints or concerns about this research study?

If you have a complaint or concern and need to speak to an independent person, please contact the Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia Ethics Executive Officer, at ethics@fpnsw.org.au or +612 8752 4352.