What is the Project About?

Every parent in NSW receives the Blue Book when their baby is born.  It has been designed to help parents keep track of health information and provide up-to-date information to ensure the best possible start in life.  To date though, very little is known about how effective the Blue Book is for recording and providing information.
For my PhD, I will be examining how parents in NSW use the Blue Book and/or perceive health professionals attitude toward use of the book.  I’m hoping to work with a wide range of parents, because it may be that what works for one group of parents isn’t working for another.  I’m also hoping to examine a few sections of the Blue Book and consider how the Blue Book may or may not facilitate medical support.  Even if you have forgotten about the Blue Book it would be great if you could participate, it’s helpful to know if the Blue Book is not helpful for some people.

Who is doing the Research?

I am a trained nurse-midwife with a Master of Public Health.  I am currently enrolled in a PhD at Macquarie University.  My contact email is muhammad.chutiyami@hdr.mq.edu.au and my contact number is 0467009976. My supervisors are Dr Shirley Wyver (shirley.wyver@mq.edu.au) Faculty of Human Sciences and Professor Janaki Amin (janaki.amin@mq.edu.au) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The project is funded as part of Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship.
 
Why am I being asked to take part and what will I have to do?

I am inviting everyone who has a young child born in NSW from 2014. Participation will require you to take part in ONE or both of the following;
1.   Complete a hard copy or an electronic questionnaire https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSWBlueBook, which takes less than 10minutes. The questions include:
·         Basic demographic variables such as your age, gender, postcode, number/age of children, educational level etc
·         Your Personal experiences of using the blue book, such as how often you use the book to record your child information or present it to relevant healthcare professionals
·         Your experience with health professionals toward use of the book, such as how often different health professionals use or find your child related information from the book
·         Your overall satisfaction with the book, such as ease of reading, locating information and organisation of its content
·         Your personal evaluation of your youngest child current development status, which include concerns you may have about the child’s speech sounds, behaviour, learning etc
 
2.   Allow us to scan some pages of your child’s Blue Book excluding any personal information and using a password-protected iPad.  The scanning takes about 10 minutes and include pages with APGAR score, growth chart, development note and immunisation. We would be happy to do this in your presence and at your convenience. Please note that participating in (1) above does not necessitates taking part in this section (2). It is your choice to take part in one or both of the sections.

Are there any benefits to being in the research project?

There is no direct benefit to you from participating in this research. In the future, this study may help shape policies relating to monitoring children health and development as well as ensuring reliability of various children records within NSW.
There will be no costs to you and you will not be paid for participating in this project. However, there is a provision for providing a small gift to children whose blue book is evaluated, as a way of showing appreciation.
 
Are there any risks, side-effects, discomforts or inconveniences from being in the research project?

The questions have been chosen from previous international research and have not caused discomfort.  That said, if there are any questions that make you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to disregard those questions.  If completing the questionnaire raises any concerns please feel free to talk to me or one of my supervisors.  Please also feel assured that we are interested in how well the Blue Book is working for parents.  We are not evaluating your parenting based on your use of the Blue Book.
 
Who will have access to my information?

Information you provide will only be accessed by me and my supervisors.  All other data will be stored without any of your private details or anything that could link the records to you.  It will be accessed by me and my supervisors and possibly a statistician who will work with us to analyse the results.
It is possible the data, without identifying information, will be made available to established researchers interested in understanding more about the Blue Book. Access will only be granted if they agree to preserve the confidentiality of the information as requested in this form. Their access will also require approval from the original research team as well as approval from a Human Research Ethics Committee at their home institution.
The results of this research will be included in my doctoral thesis, presented at conferences and published in professional journals. You will not be identified in any results that are published or presented.
 
Will you tell me the results of the research?

If you are interested in obtaining a summary of the results, please leave your details at the end of the questionnaire. Results will not be individual but based on all the information we collect and review as part of the research. Please note that results can only be communicated to you after completion of the study.
 
Do I have to take part in the research project?

Taking part in a research project is voluntary. It is your choice to take part or not. You do not have to agree if you do not want to. If you decide to take part and then change your mind, that is okay, you can withdraw from the project. If you choose not to take part or start and then stop the study, it will not affect your relationship with the University, staff or colleagues.
 
What happens next and who can I contact about the research?

Should you require further information about the project, please contact;
Mr Chutiyami Muhammad
Email: muhammad.chutiyami@hdr.mq.edu.au
Mobile number: 0467009976
 
If you decide to take part in this research, we will ask you to sign your consent. By signing it is telling us that you understand what you have read and what has been discussed. Signing the consent indicates that you agree to participate voluntarily in the study. Please take your time and ask any questions you have before you decide what to do.
 
 
Thank you for your time.

If you are happy to participate in the survey, please click on this link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSWBlueBook