[Federal Register: April 19, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 75)]
[Notices]
[Page 20879-20880]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19ap04-68]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-04-39]
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 the CDC Reports
Clearance Officer on (404) 498-1210.
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. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E11,
Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days
of this notice.
Proposed Project
Assessment of State Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
Programs (EHDI): A Program Operations Evaluation Protocol--New--
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
(NCBDDD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Every year, an estimated 12,000 newborns are diagnosed with
permanent hearing loss, a condition that if not identified and treated
early can lead to impaired functioning and development. CDC's role in
the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of early hearing loss through
the ``Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program'' (EHDI) is of
vital importance for families of newborns and infants affected by
hearing loss. Nonetheless, recent data indicate that only 60 percent of
the newborns that fail hearing screening are evaluated by the
recommended 3 months of age.
This study aims to examine the policy, structural, personal, and
financial factors and barriers associated with loss to follow-up and
identify ``best practices'' for improving detection; referral to
evaluation and intervention; and adherence to intervention. Data from
this evaluation will be used to improve EHDI programs across the
nation.
The evaluation will involve an integrative evaluation approach that
encompasses the following activities, conducted in Arkansas,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah, and Virginia: (1) a 10-minute survey of
3,000 mothers whose newborns have been screened (the ``Maternal Exit
Survey''); and (2) a 20-minute computer-assisted telephone interviewing
(CATI) survey of 1,000 mothers of newborns who have been referred for
additional hearing evaluation (the ``Maternal CATI Interview''). The
Maternal Exit Survey and the Maternal CATI Interview will address the
following research questions: (1) What are the factors that impede or
enable families to follow-up for early hearing evaluation and
intervention; (2) What EHDI strategies implemented by hospitals appear
to be most successful in reducing loss to follow-up; and (3) Is loss to
follow-up associated with maternal characteristics such as parity, age
or ethnicity? Both surveys will be available in English and Spanish.
Hearing loss is the most common disorder that can be detected
through newborn screening programs. Prior to the implementation of
newborn hearing screening, children with hearing loss typically were
not identified until 2 to 3 years of age. This is well beyond the
period of early language development. Now, with comprehensive EHDI
programs, the average age of identification of children with hearing
loss has been reduced so that it is now possible to provide
interventions for
[[Page 20880]]
children younger than one year of age. With early identification,
children with hearing loss can begin receiving appropriate intervention
services that provide the best opportunity for these children to reach
their maximum potential in such areas as language, communication,
social and emotional development, and school achievement.
Newborn hearing screening is only the first step in the
identification of children with hearing loss. Children who do not pass
their screening need to be further evaluated to determine if they have
hearing loss. The value of newborn hearing screening cannot be realized
unless children complete the screening, evaluation, and intervention
process. Since recent data indicate that nearly 40 percent of children
do not complete the evaluation-intervention process, this project is
designed to understand what barriers exist to following through with
evaluation and intervention. This evaluation also plans to provide data
necessary to develop innovative solutions that can be applied by
states, hospitals, and local programs. Results from this collection
have the potential to strengthen the EHDI process and minimize social
and economic disability among persons born with hearing loss.
By evaluating the policy, structural, personal, and financial
factors and barriers associated with loss to follow-up in the EHDI
program, this study seeks to identify ``best practices'' for improving
detection, referral to evaluation and intervention, and adherence to
intervention. CDC's plan to publish data and results from this
evaluation will help state health officials, other federal agencies,
and other stakeholders to improve the EHDI process-providing direct
benefit to infants with hearing loss and their families.
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Average burden
Instrument Number of Responses per per response Total burden
respondents respondent (hrs) (hrs)
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Maternal Exit Survey............................ 3,000 1 10/60 500
Maternal CATI Interview......................... 1,000 1 20/60 333
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Total....................................... .............. .............. .............. 833
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Dated: April 9, 2004.
Diane Allen,
Acting Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-8756 Filed 4-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P