[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57879-57880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19880]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30 Day-05-0439x]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    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) 371-5983 or send an e-mail 
to [email protected]. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Human 
Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 
10235, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-6974. Written 
comments should be received within 30 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).
    Background and Brief Description: 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.
    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.'') To 
complete these interviews, it is expected that 5,000 will be contacted. 
The overall burden on all contacted women is expected to be 
approximately 940 hours. 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 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 in 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

[[Page 57880]]

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. The total estimated burden hours are 940.

                                     Estimated Annualized Total Burden Hours
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                                                                                                  Average burden
                           Instrument                                Number of     Responses per   per  response
                                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)
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                                              Maternal Exit Survey
-----------------------------------------------------------------                 ------------------------------
Request to Participate..........................................           3,750               1          \1/60\
Complete Survey.................................................           3,000               1         \10/60\
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                                             Maternal CATI Interview
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Request to Participate..........................................           1,250               1          \2/60\
Consent and Screening, but no Hearing Test......................               8               1          \1/60\
Consent and Partially Completed Screening, Hearing Test but no                 8               1         \15/60\
 Results........................................................
Consent and Completed Interview.................................           1,000               1         \20/60\
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    Dated: September 28, 2005.
Betsey Dunaway,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 05-19880 Filed 10-3-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P