[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 143 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34954-34956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15798]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the intention of the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection 
project ``Implementation of TeamSTEPPS in Primary Care Settings (ITS-
PC).'' This proposed information collection was previously published in 
the Federal Register on May 5, 2017 and allowed 60 days for public 
comment. No substantive comments were received.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by August 28, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: AHRQ's OMB Desk 
Officer by fax at (202) 395-6974 (attention: AHRQ's desk officer) or by 
email at [email protected] (attention: AHRQ's desk officer).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1477, or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project

``Implementation of TeamSTEPPS in Primary Care Settings (ITS-PC)''

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-
3521, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information 
collection. As part of its effort to fulfill its mission, AHRQ, in 
collaboration with the Department of Defense's (DoD) Tricare Management 
Activity, developed TeamSTEPPS[supreg] (Team Strategies and Tools for 
Enhancing Performance and Patient Safety) to provide an evidence-based 
suite of tools and strategies for training teamwork-based patient 
safety to health care professionals. TeamSTEPPS includes multiple 
toolkits which are all tied to, or are variants of, the core 
curriculum. In addition to the core curriculum, TeamSTEPPS resources 
have been developed for primary care, rapid response systems, long-term 
care, and patients with limited English proficiency.
    The main objective of the TeamSTEPPS program is to improve patient 
safety by training health care staff in various teamwork, 
communication, and patient safety concepts, tools, and techniques and 
ultimately helping to build national capacity for supporting teamwork-
based patient safety efforts in health care organizations.
    Created in 2007, AHRQ's National Implementation Program has trained 
Master Trainers who have stimulated the use and adoption of TeamSTEPPS 
in health care delivery systems. These individuals were trained using 
the TeamSTEPPS core curriculum at regional training centers across the 
U.S. AHRQ has also provided technical

[[Page 34955]]

assistance and consultation on implementing TeamSTEPPS and has 
developed user networks, various educational venues and other channels 
of learning for continued support and the improvement of teamwork in 
health care. Since the inception of the National Implementation 
Program, AHRQ has trained more than 8,000 participants to serve as 
TeamSTEPPS Master Trainers.
    Most of the participants in these training programs come from 
hospital settings, because the TeamSTEPPS core curriculum is most 
aligned with that context. Given the success of the National 
Implementation Program in hospital settings, AHRQ launched an effort to 
provide TeamSTEPPS training to primary care health professionals using 
the TeamSTEPPS in Primary Care version of the curriculum, which is now 
referred to as ``TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care.''
    Under this new initiative, primary care practice facilitators will 
be trained through online instruction. Upon completion of the course, 
these individuals will be Master Trainers who will train the staff at 
primary care practices and implement or support the implementation of 
TeamSTEPPS tools and strategies in primary care practices.
    As part of this initiative, AHRQ seeks to conduct an evaluation of 
the TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care training program. This evaluation 
seeks to understand the effectiveness of the TeamSTEPPS for Office-
Based Care training and how trained practice facilitators implement 
TeamSTEPPS in primary care practices.
    This research has the following goals:
    (1) Conduct a formative assessment of the TeamSTEPPS for Office-
Based Care training program to determine what revisions and improvement 
should be made to the training and how it is delivered, and
    (2) Identify how trained participants use and implement the 
TeamSTEPPS tools and resources in primary care settings.
    This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor, the 
Health Research & Educational Trust and its subcontractor, IMPAQ 
International, pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to conduct and 
support research on health care and on systems for the delivery of such 
care, including activities with respect to the quality, effectiveness, 
efficiency, appropriateness and value of health care services and with 
respect to quality measurement and improvement. 42 U.S.C. 299a(a)(1) 
and (2).

Method of Collection

    This is a continuation of data collection for the purpose of 
conducting an evaluation of the TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care 
training program. The evaluation is formative in nature as AHRQ seeks 
information to improve the delivery of the online training.
    To conduct the evaluation, the TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care 
Post-Training Survey will be administered to all individuals who 
complete the TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care training six months after 
training.
    The TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care Post-Training Survey will be 
administered via the Web to participants.
    In order to reduce respondent burden, the training participant 
questionnaire will be administered via the Web. Participant information 
acquired by HRET and its partner Reingold, Inc. when participants 
enroll in the TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care training program will be 
used to develop the distribution lists. Each potential respondent will 
receive up to five email communications to encourage participation 
(i.e., an advance notice of the questionnaire, an initial invitation to 
complete the questionnaire, and three follow-up emails to remind 
respondents to complete the questionnaire).
    Using an online system for data collection, rather than 
administering a paper-based questionnaire, will make completing and 
submitting the questionnaire less time consuming for respondents. Any 
skip patterns included in the questionnaire (i.e., questions that are 
appropriate only for a subset of the respondents) will be automatically 
programmed into the Web-based form of the questionnaire, thereby 
eliminating any confusion during questionnaire completion. In addition, 
the contractors can also ensure that important items are not 
inadvertently skipped or ignored by setting software requirements to 
ensure proper completion of questionnaires based on specific respondent 
selections.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    Exhibit 1 shows the estimated annualized burden hours for the 
respondent's time to participate in the study. The TeamSTEPPS for 
Office-Based Care Post-Training Survey will be completed by 
approximately 600 individuals per year. We estimate that each 
respondent will require 20 minutes to complete the survey. The total 
annualized burden is estimated to be 200 hours.
    Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden based on the 
respondents' time to participate in the study. The total cost burden is 
estimated to be $24,944.

                                  Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of
                    Form name                        Number of     responses per     Hours per     Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       response          hours
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TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care Post-Training               600               1           20/60             200
 Survey.........................................
    Total.......................................             600              NA              NA             200
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                                   Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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                                                                                      Average
                    Form name                        Number of     Total burden     hourly wage     Total cost
                                                    respondents        hours          rate *          burden
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TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care Post-Training               600             200          $96.54         $19,308
 Survey.........................................
    Total.......................................             600             200           96.54          19,308
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* Based on the mean hourly wage for Family and General Practitioners (29-1062) presented in the National
  Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, May 2016, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
  Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm).


[[Page 34956]]

Request for Comments

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, comments on AHRQ's 
information collection are requested with regard to any of the 
following: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of AHRQ health care research and 
health care information dissemination functions, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of AHRQ's 
estimate of burden (including hours and costs) of the proposed 
collection(s) 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 upon the 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and included in the Agency's subsequent request for OMB approval of the 
proposed information collection. All comments will become a matter of 
public record.

Sharon B. Arnold,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2017-15798 Filed 7-26-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P