[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 75 (Monday, April 19, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20879-20880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8756]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-04-39]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. 
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a 
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports 
Clearance Officer on (404) 498-1210.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC 
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E11, 
Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days 
of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Assessment of State Early Hearing Detection and Intervention 
Programs (EHDI): A Program Operations Evaluation Protocol--New--
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities 
(NCBDDD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    Every year, an estimated 12,000 newborns are diagnosed with 
permanent hearing loss, a condition that if not identified and treated 
early can lead to impaired functioning and development. CDC's role in 
the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of early hearing loss through 
the ``Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program'' (EHDI) is of 
vital importance for families of newborns and infants affected by 
hearing loss. Nonetheless, recent data indicate that only 60 percent of 
the newborns that fail hearing screening are evaluated by the 
recommended 3 months of age.
    This study aims to examine the policy, structural, personal, and 
financial factors and barriers associated with loss to follow-up and 
identify ``best practices'' for improving detection; referral to 
evaluation and intervention; and adherence to intervention. Data from 
this evaluation will be used to improve EHDI programs across the 
nation.
    The evaluation will involve an integrative evaluation approach that 
encompasses the following activities, conducted in Arkansas, 
Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah, and Virginia: (1) a 10-minute survey of 
3,000 mothers whose newborns have been screened (the ``Maternal Exit 
Survey''); and (2) a 20-minute computer-assisted telephone interviewing 
(CATI) survey of 1,000 mothers of newborns who have been referred for 
additional hearing evaluation (the ``Maternal CATI Interview''). The 
Maternal Exit Survey and the Maternal CATI Interview will address the 
following research questions: (1) What are the factors that impede or 
enable families to follow-up for early hearing evaluation and 
intervention; (2) What EHDI strategies implemented by hospitals appear 
to be most successful in reducing loss to follow-up; and (3) Is loss to 
follow-up associated with maternal characteristics such as parity, age 
or ethnicity? Both surveys will be available in English and Spanish.
    Hearing loss is the most common disorder that can be detected 
through newborn screening programs. Prior to the implementation of 
newborn hearing screening, children with hearing loss typically were 
not identified until 2 to 3 years of age. This is well beyond the 
period of early language development. Now, with comprehensive EHDI 
programs, the average age of identification of children with hearing 
loss has been reduced so that it is now possible to provide 
interventions for

[[Page 20880]]

children younger than one year of age. With early identification, 
children with hearing loss can begin receiving appropriate intervention 
services that provide the best opportunity for these children to reach 
their maximum potential in such areas as language, communication, 
social and emotional development, and school achievement.
    Newborn hearing screening is only the first step in the 
identification of children with hearing loss. Children who do not pass 
their screening need to be further evaluated to determine if they have 
hearing loss. The value of newborn hearing screening cannot be realized 
unless children complete the screening, evaluation, and intervention 
process. Since recent data indicate that nearly 40 percent of children 
do not complete the evaluation-intervention process, this project is 
designed to understand what barriers exist to following through with 
evaluation and intervention. This evaluation also plans to provide data 
necessary to develop innovative solutions that can be applied by 
states, hospitals, and local programs. Results from this collection 
have the potential to strengthen the EHDI process and minimize social 
and economic disability among persons born with hearing loss.
    By evaluating the policy, structural, personal, and financial 
factors and barriers associated with loss to follow-up in the EHDI 
program, this study seeks to identify ``best practices'' for improving 
detection, referral to evaluation and intervention, and adherence to 
intervention. CDC's plan to publish data and results from this 
evaluation will help state health officials, other federal agencies, 
and other stakeholders to improve the EHDI process-providing direct 
benefit to infants with hearing loss and their families.

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                                                                                  Average burden
                   Instrument                        Number of     Responses per    per response   Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent         (hrs)           (hrs)
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Maternal Exit Survey............................           3,000               1           10/60             500
Maternal CATI Interview.........................           1,000               1           20/60             333
                                                 -----------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             833
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    Dated: April 9, 2004.
Diane Allen,
Acting Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-8756 Filed 4-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P