2020-17710. 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.

SUMMARY:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection entitled “Drug Overdose Response Investigation (DORI) Data Collections.” CDC will use the information collected to respond to urgent requests from state and local health authorities to provide epidemiological information that allows for the selection of interventions to curb local epidemics of drug overdose.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before October 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-0090 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: 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-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments to Regulations.gov.

Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking portal (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-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: [phone]; Email: [e-mail].

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; and

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.

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Drug Overdose Response Investigation (DORI) Data Collections (OMB Control No. 0920-1054, Exp. 03/31/2018)—Revision—National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

In 2015, CDC received OMB approval (OMB Control No. 0920-1054) for a new Generic clearance for a three-year period to collect information to respond to urgent requests from state and local health authorities to provide epidemiological information that allows for the selection of interventions to curb local epidemics of drug overdose. CDC seeks OMB approval for a Revision of this generic clearance for a three-year period.

Drug Overdose Response Investigation (DORI) are to be conducted in response to urgent requests from state and local health authorities. Of particular interest is response to increasing trends in, or changing characteristics of, overdose from prescription drugs (with a special interest in opioid analgesics such as oxycodone or methadone; benzodiazepines such as alprazolam) and/or illicit drugs (e.g., heroin). CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) is frequently called upon to conduct DORIs at the request of state or local health authorities seeking support to respond to urgent public health problems resulting from drug use, misuse, addiction, and overdose. Such requests are typically, but not always, made through the Epi-Aid mechanism. In most investigations, CDC's epidemiological response entails rapid and flexible collection of data that evolves during the investigation period.

A Generic clearance is requested to ensure that timely information is collected during a DORI, which allows NCIPC to maintain critical mission function by working with state and local health authorities to protect the public's health. During an unanticipated rise in nonfatal or fatal drug overdose where the substances responsible for the health event need to be identified, drivers and risk factors are undetermined, and/or subgroups at risk need to be identified, immediate action by CDC is necessary to minimize or prevent public harm. CDC must have the ability to rapidly deploy data collection tools to understand the scope of the problem and determine appropriate action. Procedures for each investigation, including specific data collection plans, depend on the time and resources available, number of persons involved, and other circumstances unique to the urgent conditions at hand. Data are collected by epidemiologists, psychologists, medical professionals, subject matter experts, and biostatisticians.

Data collected during a DORI are used to understand sudden increases in drug use and misuse associated with fatal and nonfatal overdoses, understand the drivers and risk factors associated with those trends, and identify the groups most affected. This allows CDC to effectively advise states on actions that could be taken to control the local epidemic. During a DORI, data are collected once, with the rare need for follow-up. The estimated annual burden hours are 1,500, there are no costs to respondents other than their time.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Type of respondent	Form name	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden per response (in hours)	Total burden hours
Drug Overdose Response Investigation Participants	DORI Data Collection Instruments	3,000	1	30/60	1,500

Jeffrey M. Zirger,

Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.