[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 117 (Monday, June 18, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32825-32826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15356]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30DAY-38-01]


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 Project: Validation of Self-Reported Arthritis Case 
Definitions in a Managed Care Setting--New--National Center for Chronic 
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC). It is difficult to estimate the burden of 
arthritis on the American public because many patients with arthritis 
do not seek treatment from a health care provider for the condition. 
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing 
telephone survey that is being used by individual states and the CDC to 
measure the burden of arthritis. The BRFSS collects a wide variety of 
self-reported health information, including 6 questions on arthritis. A 
BRFSS case of arthritis is defined as any person who reports chronic 
joint symptoms or recalls a diagnosis of arthritis by a health care 
provider. However, the BRFSS case definition has not been validated, 
meaning it is unclear if patients who report arthritis symptoms or a 
diagnosis of arthritis truly have arthritis based on a clinical 
evaluation by a health care provider. It is also not known if persons 
who deny chronic joint symptoms and

[[Page 32826]]

do not recall a diagnosis of arthritis are free of the condition. It is 
essential to know the validity of the BRFSS case definition because 
this survey is currently being used to estimate the burden of arthritis 
on the population.
    To assess whether the BRFSS case definition of arthritis is valid, 
patients aged 45 and older who are enrolled in the Fallon Clinic, (a 
health maintenance organization in central and eastern Massachusetts), 
and have an upcoming annual physical examination with a primary care 
physician will be identified through the computerized appointment 
system. A letter will be sent to 2,100 patients aged 45 to 64 and 2,900 
patients aged 65 and older two weeks prior to their scheduled visit 
informing them of this study and that a research assistant will be 
calling to conduct a 10 minute interview in the next few days. The 
telephone survey will identify patients in each age group (aged 45 to 
64 and aged 65 and older), who fall into the four following categories: 
(1) Chronic joint symptoms without a diagnosis of arthritis from a 
health care provider; (2) a diagnosis of arthritis by a health care 
provider without chronic joint symptoms; (3) both chronic joint 
symptoms and a diagnosis of arthritis by a health care provider; and 
(4) no chronic joint symptoms and no diagnosis of arthritis by a health 
care provider. A standardized history and physical examination will be 
performed on at least 50 persons in the two age groups who fall in the 
4 categories described above. Those patients who complete the 
examination will receive a $20.00 gift certificate. Results of this 
clinical evaluation will be compared to the telephone survey responses 
and also data derived from ambulatory encounters to assess the validity 
of the arthritis case definition. The total burden for this data 
collection is 750 hours.

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                                                                                                      Average
                           Respondents                               Number of     Responses per    burden  (in
                                                                    respondents     respondents       hours)
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Patients--phone survey..........................................           3,000               1           10/60
Patients--physical exam.........................................             500               1           30/60
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    Dated: June 11, 2001.
Chuck Gollmar,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 01-15356 Filed 6-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P