Data Linkage
At a glance - Adding information
We’d like your permission to add some routinely-collected information about you from administrative records to the information that you provide to the SWANS Study.
We need your permission to do this
You can decide whether or not you agree for us to add information about you. It is completely your choice. The information below will explain exactly what information we would like to obtain, how the process works, and how your data and confidentiality will be protected.
Why we want to do this
We learn a lot about students’ lives from the survey questions we ask, but adding routinely-collected details from wellbeing services will greatly enhance the value of the information that you give to us. It will help us to build a more detailed picture of what life is like for students, how wellbeing services are used, and how to make improvements to the services that you or other students may use.
Data enhancement studies make research data as valuable and accurate as possible. It saves participants’ time by avoiding the need to complete additional questionnaires. It’s also an efficient way of collecting data for the SWANS research team so it allows us to get the most out of the resources available to us.
Is this relevant to me?
This data enhancement study can involve all UoY students. It does not matter whether or not you have ever needed to access wellbeing services. In fact, it is very important that both people who have and people who have not accessed services take part in this study so that we can more accurately learn about what factors are associated with service use. This will also help to understand how services can be made more accessible to everyone and more beneficial for people who access them.
Information we would like to add
Which records?
Information held by the University of York campus-based services.
Examples of where your data may be held are: PCMIS HE management system, business intelligence, colleges, Student Union and Graduate Student's Association, Student Hub, student services, or OpenDoor.
What do they include?
Below are examples of the types of data we would like to link with. If there are any particular data items that you would prefer us to not link with, then there will be an option to let us know on the consent form.
Accommodation, e.g. accommodation type, interactions with college staff.
Student Union and/or Graduate Student's Association factors, e.g. engagement in student communities, employment and volunteering, sport and society involvement, course representation, participation in networks.
Wellbeing information, e.g. OpenDoor service access, wellbeing support.
Course and study factors, e.g. grades, course attendance, leaving university, leave of absence.
Financial factors, e.g. loans, financial support, fee status, rent dispute.
How does the process work?
If you are happy for information about you to be included, all you need to do is provide consent. The SWANS team will do the rest and the points below show how they would process information about you:
1. Your SWANS survey responses are securely stored with a Unique ID. This is stored separately to your personal information (e.g. name, email and DOB).
2. With permission, we will send participants’ Student ID to UoY PCMIS system who will then look for any records that match with those Student IDs.
3. UoY PCMIS will then send administrative data from any matched records to the SWANS team. The SWANS team can then link the administrative data to participants’ Unique ID.
4. The Unique ID is used to link administrative data to survey responses. We can then analyse the anonymised data.
What is a Unique ID?
When you took part in the SWANS survey a Unique ID was generated that is a string of numbers. It allows us to identify your data without identifying you.
Who will use the data?
Only the SWANS research team will have access to both the SWANS survey responses and the added administrative data. The data will be anonymised and then analysed by the SWANS team.
How will the information be used?
The SWANS survey responses and the administrative data will be analysed and the anonymised findings will be published in an academic journal. The findings will be shared widely with students, staff, university services and the public in order to improve services. It will not be possible to identify you in reports.
Did you know?
Other researchers have linked data to learn valuable new information:
One study linked hospital data with international flights data and were able to make precise estimates about the risk of deep vein thrombosis.
Another study has shown that data enhancement is a promising tool to understand how wellbeing factors can affect academic performance in university students.
How will my data be protected?
We will only transfer the necessary information (Student ID) to UoY PCMIS system. All data will be stored securely and encrypted before being transferred. Your involvement in this study will be kept confidential. Your data will be anonymised. General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and University of York data policy will be adhered to at all times.
More participant information about the SWANS study, your data and your rights can be found here
Assurances
If you agree for us to obtain additional data about you in this instance then this does not give us permission to obtain other information about you from UoY PCMIS system or from other sources now or in the future. We will always ask for your explicit permission.
UoY PCMIS will only receive your Student ID number and no further information about you. This is so that they can accurately find any records about you relating to wellbeing service access.
Your survey responses are confidential and will not be shared with UoY PCMIS.
We will never tell anyone whether or not you have used wellbeing services.
Why am I being invited?
You are being invited to this data enhancement study because it is a component of the SWANS research study to which all UoY students are being invited.
Do I have to take part?
No, taking part is entirely voluntary. It is your choice to decide whether or not you would like to participate. Even if you don’t take part in this component of the SWANS study then we would still like you to complete the regular surveys.
What if I change my mind?
You can withdraw your consent before the study results are published. Please notify us by the 1st October 2022. This can be done by contacting the SWANS research team who will destroy any additional data collected as part of this study.
What should I do next?
If you are happy for the SWANS researchers to obtain administrative data then follow the weblink in the invitation email that you received to review and submit the consent form. This should only take a few minutes.
If you do NOT wish for administrative data to be added to SWANS wellbeing responses then you can decline consent to this component at the end of the survey.
Further information & contact
Participant information about the SWANS study
Information about UoY PCMIS HE system
Contact
If you have a query about this project then please contact dohs-wellbeing-study@york.ac.uk
If you have a complaint about the way you have been dealt with during this project then this will be addressed. Please use the below contacts:
Prof Stephen Holland, Chair of Department of Health Sciences’ Research Ethics Governance Committee, stephen.holland@york.ac.uk 01904 32 3253
Durham Burt, Data Protection Officer, dataprotection@york.ac.uk for data protection complaints
Information Commissioner’s Office, www.ico.org.uk/concerns
Who has reviewed and approved this study?
The University of York’s Health Sciences Research Governance Committee (HSRGC) has reviewed and approved this study.