[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 9, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46181-46182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15708]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

    In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed 
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA 
Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of 
information are 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.

Proposed Project: Drug Abuse Warning Network (OMB No. 0930-0078)--
Revision.

    The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is an ongoing data system 
that collects information on drug-related medical emergencies as 
reported from about 350 hospitals nationwide, and drug-related deaths 
as reported from 6 states and 135 medical examiners/coroner 
jurisdictions (ME/C) in 35 metropolitan areas. DAWN provides national 
and metropolitan estimates of substances involved with drug-related 
emergency department (ED) visits; disseminates information about 
substances involved in deaths investigated by participating medical 
examiners and coroners (ME/Cs); tracks drug abuse patterns, trends, and 
the emergence of new substances; monitors post-market adverse drug 
incidents; assesses health hazards associated with the use of illicit, 
prescription, and over-the-counter drugs; and generates information for 
national and local drug abuse policy and program planning. DAWN data 
are used by Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as 
universities, pharmaceutical companies, and the media.
    From 2006 to 2008, DAWN will continue to recruit hospitals in the 
13 oversampled metropolitan areas in order to improve the precision of 
estimates, adding approximately 18 hospitals to the sample. In 2007 and 
2008, DAWN plans to recruit approximately 20 more ME/Cs from 
metropolitan areas that are currently profiled by DAWN, but have 
incomplete participation. DAWN data are submitted electronically, using 
eHERS (electronic Hospital Emergency Reporting System) and eMERS 
(electronic Medical Examiner Reporting System). DAWN proposes that all 
facilities (EDs and ME/Cs) will start using the revised electronic 
forms for all events occurring from 1/1/2006 forward.
    The annual burden estimates are shown below:

[[Page 46182]]



                                                    Annualized Reporting Burden for DAWN: 2006-2008.
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                                                                                                                           Burden hours
                                                              Estimated                                                    where SAMHSA
                 Activity                     Number of       number of     Estimated time per response    Gross burden    contractor\1\  Total adjusted
                                             respondents    responses per                                      hours       conducts data      burden
                                                             respondent                                                     collection
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Emergency Departments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chart review.............................             350          24,400  2 min........................         284,667         193,573          91,094
eHERS cases..............................             350             756  10 min.......................          44,100          29,988          14,112
ED activity report.......................             350              12  2 min........................             140              95              45
                                          -----------------
    Subtotal.............................  ..............  ..............  .............................  ..............  ..............         105,251
------------------------------------------
                                                              Medical Examiners/Coroners\2\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Death records review.....................             104            1538  2.5 min......................           6,665             705           5,960
eMERS cases..............................             104             111  4 min........................             770              81             689
ME/C activity report.....................             104              12  2 min........................              42               4              38
                                          -----------------
    Subtotal.............................  ..............  ..............  .............................  ..............  ..............            6687
==========================================
    Total................................             454  ..............  .............................  ..............  ..............        111,938
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Data collection for 238 EDs and 11 ME/Cs will be conducted by SAMHSA contractor. Because there is no burden associated with these reporters, their
  hours are deducted from the total burden.
\2\ Some medical examiner/coroner offices report for multiple jurisdictions. For this reason, the number of respondents is smaller than the number of ME/
  C jurisdictions participating in DAWN.

    Send comments to Summer King, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 71-1044, One Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857. Written 
comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: August 3, 2005.
Anna Marsh,
Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 05-15708 Filed 8-8-05; 8:45 am]
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