[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19922-19923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10640]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30DAY-13-98]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 639-7090. Send written 
comments to CDC, Desk Officer; Human Resources and Housing Branch, New 
Executive Office Building, Room 10235; Washington, DC 20503. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Projects

    1. Provider Survey of Partner Notification and Partner Management 
Practices following Diagnosis of a Sexually-Transmitted Disease--New--
The National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of STD 
Prevention. CDC is proposing to conduct a national survey of 
physician's partner management practices following the diagnosis of a 
sexually-transmitted disease. Partner notification, a technique for 
controlling the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases, is one of the 
five key elements of a long-standing public health strategy to control 
sexually-transmitted infections in the U.S. At present, there is very 
little knowledge about partner notification practices outside public 
health settings despite the fact that most STD cases are seen in 
private health care settings. No descriptive data currently exists that 
allows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to characterize 
partner notification practices among the broad range of clinical 
practice settings where STDs are diagnosed, including acute or urgent 
care, emergency room, or primary and ambulatory care clinics. The 
existing literature contains descriptive studies of partner 
notification in public health clinics, but no baseline data exists as 
to the practices of different physician specialties across different 
practice settings.
    The CDC proposes to fill that gap through a national sample survey 
of 7300 office managers and physicians who treat patients with STDs in 
a wide variety of clinical settings; a 70% completion rate is 
anticipated (n=5110 surveys). This survey will provide the baseline 
data necessary to characterize infection control practices, especially 
partner notification practices, for syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV, and 
chlamydia, and the contextual factors that influence those practices. 
Findings from the proposed national survey of office managers and 
physicians will assist CDC to better focus STD control and partner 
notification program efforts and to allocate program resources 
appropriately. Without this information, CDC will have little 
information about STD treatment, reporting, and partner management 
services provided by physicians practicing in the U.S. With changes 
underway in the manner in which medical care is delivered and the move 
toward managed care, clinical functions typically provided in the 
public health sector will now be required of private medical providers. 
At present, CDC does not have sufficient information to guide future 
STD control efforts in the private medical sector.
    Data collection will involve a mail survey of practicing 
physicians. The questionnaire mailing will be followed by a reminder 
postcard after one week, a second mailing to non-respondents at three 
weeks, telephone follow-up with non-respondents at five weeks, and a 
final certified mailing of the survey to non-respondents at eight 
weeks. A study specific computerized tracking and reporting system will 
monitor all phases of the study. Receipt of the completed questionnaire 
or a refusal will be logged into this computerized control system to 
ensure that respondents who return the survey are not contacted with 
reminders. Total annual burden hours are 2,555.

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                                                                     Number of    Average burden/               
           Respondents               Sections        Number of      responses/     response  (in   Total burden 
                                                    respondents     respondent         hrs.)         (in hrs.)  
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Physicians......................          2-4               5110               1            .083             426
Physicians......................         5-10               5110               1            .417           2,129
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[[Page 19923]]

    Dated: April 16, 1998.
Kathy Cahill,
Associate Director for Policy Planning and Evaluation, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 98-10640 Filed 4-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P