03-4211. Proposed Collection; Comment Request; NCCAM Customer Service Data Collection

SUMMARY:

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 National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

Proposed Collection: Title: NCCAM Customer Service Data Collection.

Type of Information Collection Request: New.

Need and Use of Information Collection: NCCAM provides the public, patients, families, health care providers, CAM practitioners, and others with the latest scientifically based information on CAM and information about NCCAM's programs through a variety of channels including its toll-free telephone information service and its quarterly newsletter. To ensure that NCCAM is effectively serving all audiences, NCCAM needs to measure customer satisfaction with NCCAM telephone interactions and the NCCAM newsletter and to assess which audiences are being reached through these channels. This effort involves a telephone survey consisting of 9 questions, which will be asked of 50% of all callers, for an annual total of approximately 4,059 respondents; and a newsletter survey consisting of 10 questions, which will be sent as a print survey to be completed and mailed back by newsletter subscribers, for a total of approximately 6,098 respondents. NCCAM will use the data collected from the surveys to characterize NCCAM users and help program staff measure the impact of their communication efforts, tailor services to the public and health care providers, measure service use among special populations, and assess the most effective media and messages to reach these audiences.

Frequency of Response: Once for the telephone survey, and twice for the newsletter survey (once at outset and again after 2.5 years to measure any changes in customer satisfaction and/or audience profile).

Affected Public: Individuals and households.

Type of Respondents: For the telephone survey, patient, spouse/family/friend of patient, health care providers, physicians, CAM practitioners, or other individuals contacting the NCCAM Clearinghouse; for the newsletter survey, subscribers to the NCCAM newsletter.

The annual reporting burden is as follows.

Type of respondents	Estimated number of respondents	Estimated number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Estiamted total annual burden hours requested
Telephone survey: Individuals or households	4,059	1	0.075	304.425
Newsletter survey: Individuals or households	6,098	2	0.050	609.800
Annualized totals	10,157			914.225

The annualized cost to respondents is estimated at $5,561.84 for the telephone survey and $9,756.80 for the newsletter survey. There are no Capital Costs to report. There are no Operating or Maintenance Costs to report.

Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected agencies are invited on the following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, contact Christy Thomsen, Director, Office of Communications and Public Liaison, NCCAM, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 401, Bethesda, MD 20892-5475, or fax your request to 301-480-3519, or e-mail [e-mail]. Ms. Thomsen can be contacted by telephone at 301-451-8876.

Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 60 days of the date of this publication.

Dated: January 31, 2003.

Christy Thomsen,

Director, Office of Communications and Public Liaison, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health.