[Federal Register: October 15, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 199)]
[Notices]
[Page 61254-61255]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15oc04-98]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30Day-04-0636]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 498-1210 or send an e-mail
to omb@cdc.gov. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Human
Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room
10235, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-6974. Written
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
State-based Evaluation of the Alert Notification Component of CDC's
Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X) Secure Public Health
Communications Network (OMB No. 0920-0636)--Extension--Epidemiology
Program Office (EPO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Great attention has been focused on improving secure public health
communications networks for the dissemination of critical disease
outbreak and/or bioterrorism-related events, which may have multi-
jurisdictional involvement and cause disease and death within a short
time-frame. A central component of the mission of the CDC's
Epidemiology Program Office (EPO) is to strengthen the nation's public
health infrastructure by coordinating public health surveillance at CDC
and providing domestic and international support through scientific
communications and terrorism preparedness and emergency response. The
Office of Scientific and Health Communication's Epidemic Information
Exchange (Epi-X) provides CDC and its state and local partners and
collaborators with a secure public health communications network
intended for routine and emergent information exchange in a secure
environment.
The purpose of the information gathered during this notification
proficiency testing exercise is to evaluate the extent to which new
registrants and currently authorized users of the Epidemic Information
Exchange (Epi-X) are able to utilize alert notification functionality
to minimize or prevent unnecessary injury or disease-related morbidity
and mortality through the use of secure communications and rapid
notification systems. In this case, notification alerts would be sent
to targeted public health professionals through a ``barrage'' of office
cell phone, home telephone, and pager calls to rapidly inform key
health authorities from multidisciplinary backgrounds and multiple
jurisdictions of evolving and critical public health information, and
assist with the decision-making process. Presently, the necessity of
this evaluation process is timely because of ongoing terrorism threats
and acts perpetrated worldwide.
The survey information will be gathered through an online
questionnaire format. The survey will help evaluate user comprehension
solely with the targeted notification and rapid alerting
functionalities of Epi-X. The questionnaire will consist of both
closed- and open-ended items and will be administered through
Zoomerang, an online questionnaire program, or as a last resort, by
telephone. Approximately 6,000 Epi-X users from every state of the
union will be asked to volunteer input (in a 5-10 question format)
about their experiences using the alert notification functionalities of
the Epi-X communications system. The estimated annualized burden is 167
hours.
[[Page 61255]]
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Average
No. of No. of burden per
Respondents respondents responses per response (in
respondent hrs)
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States.......................................................... 1000 1 10/60
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Dated: October 8, 2004.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-23149 Filed 10-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P