Operational Approval
Under the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) Research Policy, all research requires Operational Approval if it involves:
- Facility use;
- Services or equipment;
- Staff time;
- SHA patients or long-term care residents;
- Personal Health Information (PHI);
- Administrative data.
Operational Approval ensures that the impacted departments within SHA facilities can complete the research in a safe manner, within their current workload, and with the ability to recover direct costs of research in an open and fair manner.
The process for obtaining Operational Approval (OA) is as follows:
- Submit application for research ethics approval to the appropriate Research Ethics Board (REB): SHA, University of Regina, or University of Saskatchewan. A Waiver of REB Review does not guarantee a waiver of a need for OA. If a research study is exempt from REB review, the researcher must contact the Research Department to determine if an application for OA is necessary.
- Submit application for OA. This assessment is completed using the Application for Operational Approval to Conduct Research in SHA.
Submit the study-related contract(s) to the SHA Research Contract Specialist. Submit all study related contracts (if applicable) that have been finalized and executed. Conditional OA may be granted in special circumstances while the contract negotiation is in progress.
Once the study is closed, please submit a SHA Research Account Closure form.
Remote SCM Research Account Instructions:
Once you have been given a Saskatoon SCM Research Account, login to the account using your Saskatoon Research ITS Account credentials, and you can request remote access for research. The process is as follows:
- Fill out the form.
- Ensure to list Sandy Kassir (sandy.kassir2@saskhealthauthority.ca) as the Manager approving the request.
In the box requesting "Additional Information/Comments" enter the OA file number of the project for which you are requesting remote access. Please also indicate your research SCM username, as well as the location (i.e., Saskatoon).
E.g.: John Smith is requesting remote access to their Research SCM account (username: SCMSMITHJ) in Saskatoon for file number: OA-UofS-xxxx
If you have difficulties, please contact the eHS Service Desk by email servicedesk@ehealthsask.ca or by phone at 1-888-316-7446.
Health Research Data Platform - Saskatchewan
The Health Research Data Platform - Saskatchewan (HRDP-SK) provides researchers with secure access to linkable, de-identified Saskatchewan health data from multiple provincial stakeholders. Researchers exploring data options for their projects can connect with HRDP-SK to learn which datasets are available through the platform and how data from multiple sources may be linked to support their research.
The HRDP-SK team supports researchers by:
- Identifying datasets relevant to research questions
- Guiding applicants through the data access process
- Coordinating requests across multiple organizations
- Providing online training resources
To learn more about HRDP-SK, explore available datasets and understand the data access process, visit www.scpor.ca/hrdpsk.
For questions or to discuss a potential research project, contact hrdp-sk@usask.ca.
