2013-26116. Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-639-7570 or send comments to LeRoy Richardson, at 1600 Clifton Road, MS D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an email to [e-mail].

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection 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 on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention—Pediatric Audiology Links to Service (EHDI-PALS) Survey (OMB No. 0920-0955, Expiration 02/28/2014)—Revision—National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

The Division of Human Development and Disability, located within NCBDDD, promotes the health of babies, children, and adults, with a focus on preventing birth defects and developmental disabilities and optimizing the health outcomes of those with disabilities. Since the passage of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Act, 97% of newborn infants are now screened for hearing loss prior to hospital discharge. However, many of these infants have not received needed hearing tests and follow up services after their hospital discharges. The 2011 national average loss to follow-up/loss to documentation rate is at 35%. This rate remains an area of critical concern for state EHDI programs and CDC-EHDI team's goal of timely diagnosis by 3 months of age and intervention by 6 months of age. Many states cite the lack of audiology resources as the main factor behind the high loss to follow up. To compound the problem, many pediatric audiologists may be proficient evaluating children age five and older but are not proficient with diagnosing infants or younger children because children age five and younger require a different skill set. No existing literature or database was available to help states verify and quantify their states' true follow up capacity until this project went live in 2013.

Meeting since April 2010, the EHDI-PALS workgroup has sought consensus on the loss to follow up/loss to documentation issue facing the EHDI programs. A survey based on standard of care practice was developed for state EHDI programs to quantify the pediatric audiology resource distribution within their state, particularly audiology facilities that are equipped to provide follow up services for children age five and younger. After nine months of data collection, preliminary data suggested that children residing in certain regions of the United States who were loss to follow up were due to the distance parents had to travel to reach a pediatric audiology facility. For example, parents who reside in western region of Nebraska and Iowa on average have to drive over 100 miles to reach a pediatric audiology facility.

CDC is requesting an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to continue collecting audiology facility information from audiologists or facility managers so both parents, physicians and state EHDI programs will have a tool to find where the pediatric audiology facilities are located. This survey will continue to allow CDC-EHDI team and state EHDI programs to compile a systematic, quantifiable distribution of audiology facilities and the capacity of each facility to provide services for children age five and younger. The data collected will also allow the CDC-EHDI team to analyze facility distribution data to improve technical assistance to State EHDI programs.

Two additional questions will be added to the existing survey. The two questions will ask for more information from audiology facilities that provide services by remote telepractice technology. This information will be of vital interest and benefit for both parents who live in remote regions of the US and state EHDI programs to maximize resource coverage. Respondents will all be audiologists who manage a facility or provide audiologic care for children age five and younger. To minimize burden and improve convenience, the survey will continue to be available via a secure password protected Web site. Placing the survey on the internet ensures convenient, on-demand access by the audiologists. Financial cost is minimized because no mailing fee will be associated with sending or responding to this survey.

EHDI-PALS currently has 882 facilities in the database since the beginning of the data collection. All 882 facilities' contacts will receive a brief email from University of Maine to remind them to review their survey answers. It is estimated that approximately 800 audiologists will do so. It takes approximately two minutes per person to review the survey answers. Both ASHA and AAA are members of the EHDI-PALS workgroup and will continue to disseminate a request through association e-newsletters and e-announcements to all audiologists who provide services to children younger than five years of age to complete the EHDI-PALS survey. It is estimated that potentially an additional 400 new audiologists will read through the purpose statement located on page one of the survey to decide whether or not to complete the survey. This will take one minute per person. It is estimated that 200 audiologists will complete the survey which will average nine minutes per respondent. The nine minutes calculation is based on a previous timed pre-test with six volunteer audiologists. There are no costs to respondents other than their time.

Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours

Respondents	Form name	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden per response (in minutes)	Total burden hours
Audiologists who have completed survey	Survey	800	1	2/60	27
New Audiologists	Survey Introduction	400	1	1/60	7
New Audiologists	Survey	200	1	9/60	30
Total					64

Leroy Richardson,

Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.