Compliance & ethics
How we approach data protection, consent, and research ethics
Primana Insights operates according to industry-standard ethical and legal principles for healthcare fieldwork. This page explains our approach in plain language — it describes process and awareness, not formal certification.
UK data protection
GDPR & the UK Data Protection Act 2018
UK GDPR sets out core principles for any organization handling personal data: lawfulness, fairness and transparency, purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, storage limitation, and accountability, as set out by the Information Commissioner's Office. Health information is treated as "special category data" under Article 4(15) — personal data related to a person's physical or mental health, which carries extra protection requirements. We design our UK fieldwork processes with these principles in mind at every stage, from screening through data storage.
US data protection
HIPAA business-associate awareness
HIPAA's privacy and security rules apply directly to "covered entities" — health plans, clearinghouses, and providers — and to their business associates, per HHS guidance. That same guidance notes a specific research exception: when protected health information is disclosed to a researcher with the patient's authorization, the researcher is generally not acting as a business associate and no business associate agreement is required. We design our US fieldwork processes with this framework in mind, and we treat any project-specific business-associate obligations as something to confirm directly with each client's own compliance team.
Informed consent
Consent is a conversation, not a checkbox
Before taking part in any study, participants are told what the research is for, what will be asked of them, how long it will take, and how their information will be used. They are told they can withdraw at any time. This mirrors the emphasis that UK sector guidance — including the BHBIA's Legal and Ethical Guidelines and the MRS Code of Conduct — places on securing genuine, informed consent before and during a research project.
Where we stand on industry membership
Primana Insights is guided by recognized MRS and BHBIA good practice, along with the data-protection and consent expectations described above. We do not claim membership or accreditation with any specific industry body on this page; where a client project requires confirmation of a particular certification, we address that directly as part of scoping.
Questions about a specific project?
Ask us how this applies to your study.
We're glad to walk through our data-handling approach for your specific market and audience.
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