[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 41 (Monday, March 2, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12307-12309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04166]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request; Questionnaire and Data Collection Testing, 
Evaluation, and Research for the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, OMB No. 0915-0379-- Extension

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection 
Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks comments from the 
public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the 
ICR.

DATES: Comments on this ICR must be received no later than May 1, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance

[[Page 12308]]

Officer, Room 14N136B, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
draft instruments, email [email protected] or call Lisa Wright-
Solomon, the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at (301) 
443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the ICR title for reference.
    Information Collection Request Title: Questionnaire and Data 
Collection Testing, Evaluation, and Research for HRSA OMB No. 0915-
0379--Extension.
    Abstract: The purpose of collections under this generic clearance 
is to obtain formative information from respondents to develop new 
questions, questionnaires and tools and to identify problems in 
instruments currently in use. This clearance request is limited to 
formative research activities emphasizing data collection, toolkit 
development, and estimation procedures and reports for internal 
decision-making and development purposes. This clearance request does 
not extend to the collection of data for public release or policy 
formation. It is anticipated that these studies will rely heavily on 
qualitative techniques to meet their objectives. In general, these 
activities are not designed to yield results that meet generally 
accepted standards of statistical rigor but are designed to obtain 
valuable formative information to develop more effective and efficient 
data collection tools that will yield more accurate results and 
decrease non-response.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: HRSA conducts cognitive 
interviews, focus groups, usability tests, field tests/pilot 
interviews, and experimental research in laboratory and field settings, 
both for applied questionnaire development and evaluation as well as 
more basic research on response errors in surveys.
    HRSA staff use various techniques to evaluate interviewer 
administered, self-administered, telephone, Computer Assisted Personal 
Interviewing, Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing, Audio Computer-
Assisted Self-Interviewing, and web-based questionnaires.
    Professionally recognized procedures are followed in each 
information collection activity to ensure high quality data. Examples 
of these procedures could include the following:
     Monitoring by supervisory staff of a certain percent of 
telephone interviews;
     Conducting cognitive interviewing techniques, including 
think-aloud techniques and debriefings;
     Data-entry from mail or paper-and-pencil surveys will be 
computerized through scannable forms or checked through double-key 
entry;
     Observers will monitor focus groups, and focus group 
proceedings will be recorded; and
     Data submitted through on-line surveys will be subjected 
to statistical validation techniques to ensure accuracy (such as 
disallowing out-of-range values).
    Each request under this generic clearance will specify the 
procedures to be used. Participation will be fully voluntary, and non-
participation will have not affect eligibility for, or receipt of, 
future HRSA health services research activities or grant awards, 
recruitment or participation. Specific testing and evaluation 
procedures will be described when we notify OMB about each new request. 
Appropriate consent procedures will be customized and used for each 
information collection activity and any collection of personal, 
privacy-protected information will be handled in accordance with all 
applicable requirements. If the encounter is to be recorded, the 
respondent's permission to record will be obtained before beginning the 
interview.
    Screening--When screening is required (e.g., quota sampling), the 
screening will be as brief as possible and the screening questionnaire 
will be provided as part of the submission to OMB.
    Collection methods--The particular information collection methods 
used will vary, but may include the following:
     Individual in-depth interviews--In-depth interviews will 
commonly be used to ensure that the meaning of a questionnaire or 
strategy is understood by the respondent. When in-depth interviewing is 
used, the interview guide will be provided to OMB for review.
     Focus groups--Focus groups will be used to obtain insights 
into beliefs and understandings of the target audience early in the 
development of a questionnaire or tool. When focus groups are used, the 
focus group discussion guide will be provided to OMB for review.
     Expert/Gatekeeper review of tools--In some instances, 
tools designed for patients may be reviewed in-depth by medical 
providers or other gatekeepers to provide feedback on the acceptability 
and usability of a particular tool. This would usually be in addition 
to pretesting of the tool by the actual patient or other user.
     Record abstractions--On occasion, the development of a 
tool or other information collection requires review and interaction 
with records rather than individuals.
     ``Dress rehearsal'' of a specific protocol--In some 
instances, the proposed pretesting will constitute a walkthrough of the 
intended data collection procedure. In these instances, the request 
will mirror what is expected to occur for the larger scale data 
collection.
    Likely Respondents: Respondents will be recruited by means of 
advertisements in public venues or through techniques that replicate 
prospective data collection activities that are the focus of the 
project. For instance, a survey on physician communication, designed to 
be administered following an office visit, might be pretested using the 
same procedure. Each submission to OMB will specify the specific 
recruitment procedure to be used.
    Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide the 
information requested. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating, and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. The total annual burden hours estimated for 
this ICR are summarized in the table below.

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                                     Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                     Number of       Number of         Total        burden per     Total burden
 Type of information collection     respondents    responses per     responses     response  (in       hours
                                                    respondent                        hours)
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Mail/email \1\..................           1,000               1           1,000            0.26             260
Telephone.......................           1,000               1           1,000            0.26             260
Web-based.......................           1,000               1           1,000            0.25             250
Focus Groups....................             725               1             725             1.0             725
In-person.......................             500               1             500             1.0             500
Automated \2\...................             500               1             500             1.0             500
Cognitive Testing...............             500               1             500            1.41             705
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    Total.......................           5,225  ..............           5,225  ..............           3,200
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\1\ May include telephone non-response follow-up in which case the burden will not change.
\2\ May include testing of database software, Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing software, or other
  automated technologies.

    HRSA specifically requests comments on (1) the necessity and 
utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions, (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden, (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected, and (4) the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology to 
minimize the information collection burden.

Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2020-04166 Filed 2-28-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P