[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 179 (Friday, September 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56953-56955]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20121]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-22-22IU; Docket No. CDC-2022-0110]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

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

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed information 
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This 
notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project 
titled Evaluation of the CDC/NIOSH Health Worker Mental Health 
Campaign. This project will collect data through the administration of 
online surveys to health workers and their employers prior to campaign 
launch and 12 months afterward to assess changes in relevant knowledge, 
attitudes, and beliefs to help inform recommendations.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before November 15, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2022-
0110 by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to www.regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (www.regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed 
above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; Telephone: 404-639-7570; 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    National Education and Awareness Social Marketing Campaign: 
Employer Efforts to Support the Mental Health of Health Workers--New--
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    As part of the COVID-19 American Rescue Plan of 2021, in response 
to a congressional mandate, and on the heels of the passage of the Dr. 
Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, the National Institute 
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), within the Centers for 
Disease Control and

[[Page 56954]]

Prevention (CDC), is taking an active stance to address mental health 
concerns among the more than 20 million workers in the nation's 
healthcare sector. For many years now, health workers have reported 
feeling undervalued, overworked, and overwhelmed. A 2012 study that 
surveyed more than 7,000 physicians found that nearly half of them had 
symptoms of burnout. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the 
strain and pressure facing health workers as they endure unprecedented 
challenges that make working in this field exponentially harder on 
their own health and wellbeing. So much so, that the wellbeing of those 
who dedicate their days and nights to keeping us healthy has surpassed 
a point of crisis. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are highly prevalent 
among health workers across the United States. A systematic review of 
studies addressing burnout among nurses found that more than a third 
(34.1%) had emotional exhaustion. A 2020 survey of healthcare workers 
found that 86% reported experiencing anxiety, and 39% did not feel like 
they had adequate emotional support.
    While many Americans experienced some respite from COVID-19 over 
the last 24 months, health workers remained on the front lines, in 
communities and health systems where infections and deaths remained 
highest and in settings where their charge was to care of the sickest 
and most immunocompromised Americans. Add to this staffing shortages, a 
lack of resources and beds across health centers of all sizes, public 
mistrust in medical professionals in certain areas, and hesitancy of 
health workers to access support due to licensure and credentialing 
issues, it is no wonder that our nation's health workers need support, 
especially from the systems that employ them.
    NIOSH, the federal agency tasked with conducting research to 
contribute to reductions in occupational illnesses, injuries, and 
hazards, and its contractor, JPA Health, plan to develop, implement, 
and evaluate a social marketing campaign that aims to raise health 
worker and healthcare executive awareness of mental health risks, 
promote help seeking and treatment among health workers experiencing 
burnout and job-related distress, reduce stigma associated with health 
workers' mental health help seeking, and establish organizational 
policies and practices that support worker mental health. For NIOSH, 
this project requires more than a messaging campaign and aims to marry 
communications best practices with behavior and systems change 
strategies to start addressing the working conditions that contribute 
to job-related distress, structural barriers that prevent health 
workers from seeking help, and healthcare executives from providing 
mental health services and supports.
    While many individual-level interventions specific to healthcare 
and healthcare workers exist, very few interventions address the 
organizational level causes of health worker burnout. It is for this 
reason that we are proposing a two-year approval to collect data that 
will allow us to determine whether the social marketing campaign is 
reaching and engaging executives who will, in turn, support and 
facilitate modifications to working conditions that contribute to job-
related distress; and whether the campaign is associated with increased 
mental health help seeking and care in those healthcare organizations 
participating in social marketing efforts.
    Outcome data collected for the non-experimental study will include 
a representative sample of 3,000 health workers and 500 high-level 
healthcare executives that hail from relevant partner network 
organizations of the All In network. The survey will be completed on a 
rolling basis at baseline (pre-launch) and at 12-months post baseline. 
A new representative sample will be drawn at each data collection 
period. The health worker survey should take no more than 21 minutes to 
complete; the executive survey no more than 15 minutes.
    Outcome data collected for the quasi-experimental study will 
include 960 health workers and 60 high-level executives that hail from 
12 clinical sites (six intervention sites and six comparison sites) 
affiliated with our existing partner hospital systems. Unlike the non-
experimental study, the same participants will be asked to complete 
both the baseline and 12-month follow-up surveys (as matched pairs). 
The health worker survey should take no more than 21 minutes to 
complete; the executive survey no more than 15 minutes. In addition, up 
to 18 health workers at each of the six intervention sites will 
participate in a 60-minute, in-depth interview (nine workers at 
baseline and another nine at 12 months); and two senior administrators 
from each of the six intervention sites will participate in a 45-
minute-long interview at 12 months.
    CDC requests OMB approval for an estimated 1,427 annual burden 
hours. There is no cost to respondents other than their time to 
participate.

                                                            Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                                             Number of    Average burden
              Type of respondents                               Form name                    Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                                                            respondents     respondent      (in hours)         hours
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Health Worker..................................  Partner Network Member Baseline Survey            1,500               1           15/60             375
                                                  (Form 1).
Health Worker..................................  Partner Network Member Follow-up Survey           1,500               1           21/60             525
                                                  (Form 2).
Executive......................................  Partner Network Member Baseline Survey              250               1           10/60              42
                                                  (Form 3).
Executive......................................  Partner Network Member Follow-up Survey             250               1           15/60             125
                                                  (Form 4).
Health Worker..................................  Quasi-experimental Study Baseline                   480               1           15/60             120
                                                  Survey (Form 5).
Health Worker..................................  Quasi-Experimental Study Follow-up                  240               1           21/60              84
                                                  Survey Comparison (Form 6).
Health Worker..................................  Quasi-Experimental Study Follow-up                  240               1           21/60              84
                                                  Survey Intervention (Form 7).
Executive......................................  Quasi-Experimental Baseline Survey                   30               1           10/60               5
                                                  (Form 8).
Executive......................................  Quasi-Experimental Study Follow-up                   15               1           15/60               4
                                                  Survey Comparison (Form 9).

[[Page 56955]]

 
Executive......................................  Quasi-Experimental Study Follow-up                   15               1           15/60               4
                                                  Survey Intervention (Form 10).
Health Worker..................................  Quasi-Experimental Study Baseline                    27               1           60/60              27
                                                  Interview Intervention (Form 11).
Health Worker..................................  Quasi Experimental Study Follow-up                   27               1           60/60              27
                                                  Interview Intervention (Form 12).
Executive......................................  Quasi-Experimental Study Follow-up                    6               1           45/60               5
                                                  Interview Intervention (Form 15).
                                                                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................  .......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           1,427
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2022-20121 Filed 9-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P