[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 141 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44303-44304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15855]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Management of Acute and Chronic Pain: Opportunity for Stakeholder 
Engagement

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located 
within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces an 
opportunity to hear stakeholders' perspectives on and experiences with 
pain and pain management, including but not limited to the benefits and 
harms of opioid use. These stakeholders include patients with acute or 
chronic pain, patients' family members and/or caregivers, and 
healthcare providers who care for patients with pain or conditions that 
can complicate pain management (e.g., opioid use disorder or overdose). 
As part of this effort, CDC will be holding approximately 100 
individual conversations with stakeholders over the phone or through an 
internet-enabled virtual platform. CDC is asking stakeholders 
interested in participating to contact CDC as outlined in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. These conversations are intended to 
supplement the efforts of CDC's prior FRN (85 FR 21441) which solicited 
written public comment on the same topical areas between April and June 
2020.

DATES: Persons interested in participating should contact CDC as 
described below no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT August 21, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannon Lee, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop S106-9, Atlanta, 
Georgia, 30329, Telephone: 404-498-3290, email: 
[email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose

    Input gathered through these conversations will help inform CDC's 
understanding of stakeholders' values and preferences related to pain 
and pain management and will complement CDC's ongoing work to update or 
expand the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, 
published in 2016 (Available at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/rr/rr6501e1er.htm). More information about CDC's process for updating the 
Guideline and the establishment of a Federal advisory committee 
workgroup to provide expert input and observations on the Guideline 
update is available at https://www.cdc.gov/injury/bsc/opioid-workgroup-2019.html. CDC will request public comment on the updated draft 
Guideline through a notice in the Federal Register prior to final 
publication.

Engagement Structure

    During these conversations, CDC will talk with individual 
participants between 45-60 minutes on the phone or an internet-enabled 
virtual platform to listen to personal perspectives and experience 
related to the themes described below in the THEMES section.

Participation

    Persons interested in participating in these conversations should 
email the following information to [email protected]:
     Full name
     Whether you would be participating primarily as a 
healthcare provider, patient, or family member and/or caregiver
    [cir] If you are a healthcare provider, please describe whether you 
care for patients with chronic pain, acute pain, and/or conditions that 
can complicate pain management (e.g., opioid use disorder or overdose)
    [cir] If you are a patient, please identify if you mostly 
experience acute or chronic pain and if you feel opioid pain 
medications have mostly helped you, mostly harmed you, neither, or an 
even mix of both
    [cir] If you are a family member and/or caregiver, please identify 
if the person you care for experiences acute or chronic pain and if you 
feel opioid pain medications have mostly helped or mostly harmed them, 
neither, or an even mix of both

[[Page 44304]]

    Persons having trouble submitting by email or unable to submit by 
email should call 404-498-3290.
    See PARTICIPANT SELECTION PROCEDURE below for information on how 
CDC will select participants from among those who express interest and 
how participants will be notified about their participation status.
    Prior to analyzing the input gathered through these conversations, 
will remove all personally identifiable information, which is any 
information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's 
identity, such as name, date and place of birth.

Themes

    During the conversations, CDC will invite input specifically on 
topics focused on using or prescribing opioid pain medications, non-
opioid medications, or non-pharmacological treatments (e.g., exercise 
therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy). These topics are:
     Experiences managing pain, which might include benefits, 
risks, and/or harms of the pain management options listed above.
     Experiences choosing among the pain management options 
listed above, including considering factors such as each option's 
accessibility, cost, benefits, and/or risks.
     Experiences getting information needed to make pain 
management decisions.

Participant Selection Procedure

    From people who express interest by the deadline, CDC will identify 
persons at random from within the targeted populations (i.e. patients 
with acute or chronic pain, patients' family members and/or caregivers, 
and healthcare providers who care for patients with pain or conditions 
that can complicate pain management (e.g., opioid use disorder or 
overdose)). CDC will seek to balance representation on factors 
including pain type (acute or chronic); experience (mostly benefitted, 
mostly harmed, neither, both); and role (provider, patient, family 
member and/or caregiver). Identified participants will receive an 
invitation to participate, as well as possible scheduling reminders, by 
email or phone calls.

Further Communications

    Persons who wish to receive information related to CDC's ongoing 
work specific to drug overdose prevention (including the ongoing 
response to the opioid overdose epidemic) as well as other updates 
(e.g., pertaining to resources and tools) may sign up at: www.cdc.gov/emailupdates and select topics of interest. Available offerings 
include:
     Subscription Topics: Injury, Violence & Safety
     Subtopic: Drug Overdose News

Resources

    CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is 
committed to suicide prevention. If you are in immediate danger, please 
call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest emergency department. If you or 
someone you care for needs help, you may contact the National Suicide 
Prevention Lifeline (https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org) or your 
local crisis line. The National Disaster Distress Helpline is available 
to anyone experiencing emotional distress related to COVID-19. Call 1-
800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to speak to a caring 
counselor. For additional help, please see the many helpful resources 
at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/current-events/supporting-your-emotional-well-being-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/

Applicability of the Paperwork Reduction Act

    The data are being collected under OMB Control Number 0920-1050, 
Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency 
Service Delivery, Expiration date: May 31, 2022.

    Dated: July 17, 2020.
Sandra Cashman,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-15855 Filed 7-21-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P