Providence Collaboration Standard Operating Procedure 

WSU Faculty and Staff

For WSU Faculty and Staff wanting to collaborate with Providence Health and Services (PHS) in Spokane and the Eastern Washington Region, the below is a brief outline of the required steps. These are necessary whether one is planning to submit a collaborative grant or conduct an already funded project at Providence Medical Research Center (PMRC). Our goal is to streamline and clarify processes and promote the success of collaborations.

Importantly, all projects, (research, quality improvement, evidence-based practice projects, etc.) conducted through PMRC require that a ‘Providence Champion’ (i.e., a Providence staff member) be included as an investigator on the project. A Providence Champion can be a clinician or manager (depending on the focus of the project) who has knowledge and expertise on the subject matter of the study and any proposed participants. Preferably, this person has an existing relationship with the investigator. The Providence Champion will be expected to serve in an active role in the study, so they must understand and agree to whatever time commitment is necessary. The expectation is that this person is engaged in the intake process, helps review procedure documents and is an active member of the research team.

If you have questions, please contact Sterling McPherson, at sterling.mcpherson@wsu.edu, or Oliva Coiado, at olivia.coiado@wsu.edu, who can direct you to the correct person or resource at PHS.

1. Review the PMRC website for timelines for review and initiation of new research projects.
2. Complete the PMRC Clinical Research Services Intake Form. Please allow 3–4 weeks for us to communicate with you next steps.
3. PMRC staff will review the intake form and contact you with any follow-up questions they may have about your project and next steps.
4. After final review of the project intake form, PMRC staff will provide to you the Investigator Research Credentialing Application to complete before anything can be submitted to the Providence Institutional Review Board (IRB).
5. If the project is to be conducted at PHS or with PHS data, review by and approval from the Providence Human Research Protection Program will be required. Please note that a Principal Investigator Eligibility Authorization form is also a required form for the IRB and will be completed and signed by PMRC Administration prior to IRB submission. Please avoid submitting anything for review and approval until the protocol is finalized, credentialling is completed, and the Principal Investigator Eligibility Authorization form is signed.
   
   NOTE: All the necessary documentation needed to complete the above steps can be found online. Please note that disorderly documents may be returned for revision before processing. Investigators should also be aware that studies may require review and approval from a clinical service manager and/or director if that clinical service might be impacted by the study. PMRC will facilitate this.

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WSU Students

All students participating in and/or conducting Quality Improvement, Process Improvement, Evidence-Based Practice, Educational Projects, and/or Research must comply with all Federal, State and local laws, and Providence policies. Students are encouraged to participate and be involved in the various learning opportunities when assigned to a PHS facility/clinic.

Absolutely NO Protected Health Information (PHI) can be accessed, used and/or disclosed unless all criteria within this policy have been complied with. All students MUST adhere to the following institutional requirements.

1. Identify a Providence Champion for the project. This is a PHS employee that will provide oversight of the project while being conducted within their facilities, including but not limited to, accessing and securing PHI and removing all identifiers prior to providing to the student.
2. Prior to starting any project, contact your academic faculty advisor and Providence Champion for guidance, and complete the Providence Medical Research Center (PMRC) Clinical Research Services Intake Form. Please allow 3–4 weeks for us to communicate with you next steps.
   
   NOTE: If you are a nursing student, the Nursing Inquiry and Research Council (NIRC) will be able to provide some assistance and guidance. Please review the NIRC website for further information.
3. PMRC staff will review the intake form and contact you with any follow-up questions they may have about your project and next steps.
4. After final review of the project intake form, PMRC staff will provide to you the Student or Resident Research Credentialing Application to complete before anything can be submitted to the Providence Institutional Review Board (IRB).
5. If the project is deemed as clinical inquiry, submit the completed Application for Student Clinical Inquiry Projects to the IRB via eClick. A detailed protocol or project summary must accompany the application. Incomplete or unclear submissions will be returned before IRB review occurs, which will result in a delay to the start of your project. Contact the IRB prior to submitting responses if you have any questions PSJHIRBDetermination@providence.org.
6. All PHI and PHS confidential information must remain on the PHS campus, on PHS secure computers.
   • Students CANNOT directly access any PHI; this must be completed by the Providence Champion.
   • PHI must not be recorded in personal computers or other electronic devices, including USBs.
   • PHI cannot leave the PHS campus.
   • All data required to leave PHS for inclusion in student papers/presentations must be aggregate data only (de-identified by the Providence Champion).
7. Failure to comply with PHS integrity, compliance, privacy and security education, including the Code of Conduct, and if applicable, research regulations and policies, will result in appropriate corrective action which may include termination of student assignment within the PHS ministry.