[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49809-49810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20642]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30DAY-58-00]


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

    National Surveillance for Hospital Health Care Workers (NaSH)--
Reinstatement--National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID)--has 
developed a surveillance system called the National Surveillance System 
for Health Care Workers (NaSH) that focuses on surveillance of 
exposures and infections among hospital-based health care workers 
(HCWs). NaSH (OMB 0920-0417) includes standardized methodology for 
various occupational health issues. It is a collaborative effort of the 
Hospital Infections Program, National Center for Infectious Diseases 
(NCID); the Hepatitis Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial 
Diseases, NCID; the Division of Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination, National 
Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP); the National 
Immunization Program (NIP), and the National Institute for Occupational 
Safety and Health (NIOSH).
    NaSH consists of modules for collection of data about various 
occupational issues. Baseline information about each HCW such as 
demographics, immune-status for vaccine-preventable diseases, and TB 
status is collected when the HCW is enrolled in the system. Results of 
routine tuberculin skin test (TST) are collected and entered in the 
system every time a TST is placed and read; follow-up information is 
collected for HCWs with a positive TST. When an HCW is exposed to 
blood/bloodborne pathogen, to a vaccine-preventable disease (VPD), or 
to an infectious TB patient/HCW, epidemiologic data are collected about 
the exposure. For HCWs exposed to a bloodborne pathogen (i.e., HIV, 
HCV, or HBC) and for susceptible HCWs exposed to VPDs, additional data 
are collected during follow-up visits. Once a year, hospitals complete 
a survey to provide denominator data and every 2-5 years, the hospitals 
perform a survey to assess the level of underreporting of needlesticks 
(HCW Survey). Optionally, hospitals may collect information about HCW 
noninfectious occupational injuries such as acute musculoskeletal 
injuries.
    Data are entered into the software and transmitted on diskette to 
CDC. No HCW identifiers are sent to CDC. This system is protected by 
the Assurance of Confidentiality (308d).
    Data collected in NaSH will assist hospitals, HCWs, health care 
organizations, and public health agencies. This system will allow CDC 
to

[[Page 49810]]

monitor national trends, to identify newly emerging hazards for HCWs, 
to assess the risk of occupational infection, and to evaluate 
preventive measures, including engineering controls, work practices, 
protective equipment, and postexposure prophylaxis to prevent 
occupationally acquired infections. Hospitals that volunteer to 
participate in this system benefit by receiving technical support and 
standardized methodologies, including software, for conducting 
surveillance activities on occupational health.
    This system was developed and piloted in large teaching hospitals 
(RFP-200-94-0834(P) and RFP-200-96-0524(P)). The first pilot included 
four hospitals and the second, five. After the refinement pilot in an 
additional 13 hospitals (PA-786 and interagency agreements), 
participation in NaSH became voluntary. The system is being made 
available to all acute-care hospitals in the United States wishing to 
participate voluntarily in the project. We anticipate no more than 100 
hospitals participating by the end of fiscal 2000 and potentially 150 
by fiscal 2002. To participate in NaSH, hospitals are required to 
provide information on all exposures to infectious agents, baseline 
information on the exposed HCWs, as well as the underreporting and 
hospital surveys.
    A new component of NaSH will be a web-based surveillance for 
occupational exposures to blood that can be used by any health care 
facility and will meet OSHA requirements and needs mandated by national 
and state legislation. Referred to as NaSH Lite, this module is an 
abbreviated version of the bloodborne pathogen exposure module. Data 
collected through NaSH Lite will help create a national database for 
benchmarking and for tracking trends in sharps-injuries as well as help 
health care facilities to record and prevent exposures. This module 
will be developed with OSHA input and in conjunction with state health 
departments. In addition, data collected through NaSH Lite will assist 
health care facilities to select, implement, and evaluate strategies 
(including safety devices) to prevent percutaneous exposures.
    The average total burden hours are 37,397.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Number of         Number of     Average  burden/
                           Form                                respondents       responses/       response  (in
                                                               (hospitals)       respondent           hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline Information
    (Hospitals providing information only about exposed                   70               300              5/60
     HCWs)................................................
    (Hospitals providing information about all HCWs)......                35             1,000             20/60
        TST:
            TST Result....................................                35             1,000             10/60
            TST Evaluation................................                35               100             10/60
        Exposure to Blood:
            Exposure Event................................               105               125             25/60
            Exposure (NaSH Lite or web version)...........               600                10             10/60
            Follow-up.....................................               105                60              5/60
            PEP...........................................               105                60             10/60
        Exposure to VPD:
            Summary.......................................               105                 3             20/60
            HCW...........................................               105                10             20/60
        Exposure to TB:
            Summary.......................................               105                 3             20/60
            Noninfectious Injury..........................                35             1,000             10/60
            HCW Survey....................................                35               500             10/60
            Hospital Survey...............................               105                 1                 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: August 8, 2000.
Kathy Cahill,
Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-20642 Filed 8-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P