[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 39 (Monday, February 28, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10902-10905]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4135]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the intention of the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection
project: ``Improving Patient Safety System Implementation for Patients
with Limited English Proficiency.'' In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, AHRQ invites the public to comment
on this proposed information collection.
This proposed information collection was previously published in
the Federal Register on December 2010 and allowed 60 days for public
comment. One comment was received. The purpose of this notice is to
allow an additional 30 days for public comment.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by March 30, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: AHRQ's OMB Desk
Officer by fax at (202) 395-6974 (attention: AHRQ's desk officer) or by
e-mail at [email protected] (attention: AHRQ's desk
officer).
Copies of the proposed collection plans, data collection
instruments, and specific details on the estimated burden can be
obtained from the AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1477, or by e-mail at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project
Improving Patient Safety System Implementation for Patients With
Limited English Proficiency
According to the 2009 American Community Survey (U.S. Census
Bureau), approximately 57 million people--20% of the U.S. population--
speak a language other than English at home. Of that number,
approximately 24 million (8.6% of the U.S. population) are defined as
having Limited English Proficiency (LEP), meaning that they report
speaking English less than ``very well.'' Recent research suggests that
adverse events affect LEP patients more severely than they affect
English-speaking patients. In addition to linguistic barriers, LEP
patients often face cultural barriers to care and low health literacy
as well.
AHRQ proposes to develop a new training program to improve patient
safety system implementation for patients with limited English
proficiency. The new training program is designed as a continuing
education module within the TeamSTEPPS system. TeamSTEPPS is an
evidence-based framework to optimize team performance across the
healthcare delivery system with the goal of improving patient safety.
This system has been successfully implemented in numerous hospitals
across the United States. The TeamSTEPPS curriculum is an easy-to-use
comprehensive multimedia kit that includes modules in text and
presentation format, video vignettes to illustrate key concepts, and
workshop materials, including a supporting CD and DVD, on change
management, coaching, and implementation. Portions of the training
module may also be useful for hospitals that have not implemented
TeamSTEPPS. The new training module will show how TeamSTEPPS principles
can be better implemented to improve the safety of patients with LEP.
AHRQ proposes to field-test this module by conducting case studies
of its implementation in three hospitals. The primary goals of this
field test are to identify needed changes in the training module
content or format to increase the feasibility of implementation and
improve module outcomes including audience response, learning, adoption
of recommended team behaviors, and improved outcomes for LEP patients.
Patient outcome measures for this project include the patient's access
to an interpreter and how well they
[[Page 10903]]
understood instructions from the hospital staff.
This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor, Abt
Associates Inc., pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to conduct and
support research on healthcare and on systems for the delivery of such
care, including activities with respect to the quality, effectiveness,
efficiency, appropriateness and value of healthcare services and with
respect to quality measurement and improvement. 42 U.S.C. 299a(a)(1)
and (2).
Method of Collection
To achieve the goals of this project the following activities will
be implemented:
(1) Readiness Assessment Survey of whether a hospital has the right
policies in place to implement the training module. The readiness
assessment will be completed by the key contact person (hospital
champion) at each site. The assessment may be completed in consultation
with other members of a ``change team'' that the hospital champion may
form to support the initiative.
(2) Pre-work for Master-Training, including a survey, process map
exercise, and a request to locate the hospital's or organization's
policy on accessing language services. The pre-work will be completed
by one of the hospital staff persons selected to be a Master-Trainer at
each site.
(3) Master Training session in which two staff members from each of
three participating hospitals will learn how to teach the training
module. The TeamSTEPPS system requires at least two trainers for each
hospital because its implementation is a team endeavor. Trainers will
be selected either by the hospital champion, or by the ``change team''
formed by the hospital champion to support the intervention. Trainers
will be selected from among natural leaders working within the hospital
unit where the training will take place. Ideally the team will include
a provider (e.g., doctor, nurse) and an interpreter. Hospital staff
selected to attend the training will be required to travel to Boston
for the training session.
(4) Staff Training session using the training module developed for
this project. Training participants will be drawn from the
interprofessional care team in one or more hospital units (e.g., ob/
gyn, surgery, etc.). This team may include nurses, physicians,
technicians, front desk staff, and interpreters. Since the training
teaches team behaviors, the entire interprofessional care team in a
given hospital unit will be asked to attend the training session
together. The training will be conducted onsite by the hospital staff
members who attended the Master Training.
(5) Training Participant Satisfaction Survey to assess trainee
satisfaction with, and perceived adequacy of, the training module. This
questionnaire will be administered at the end of the training module.
(6) Learning Outcomes Survey to assess staff knowledge about the
best way to handle situations with LEP patients. To measure the change
in staff knowledge resulting from the training module this
questionnaire will be administered both before and after the training.
(7) Pre-training Behavior Survey to assess trainee behavior change
resulting from the training. The behavior measured by this survey is
the hospital staffs' use of interpreters when interacting with LEP
patients. To measure the change in staff behavior resulting from the
training module, questions from this survey are repeated in the post-
training behavior survey. Interpreters are exempt from this
questionnaire because the questions relate to interpreter use.
(8) Post-Training Behavior Survey to assess trainee use of
interpreters when interacting with LEP patients (repeated from the Pre-
Training Behavior Survey) and questions to assess the use of team
communication tools demonstrated during the training.
(9) Patient Outcome Survey to measure change in patient
communication and safety outcomes resulting from the training. This
survey's target audience is all patients identified as LEP. The purpose
of this survey is to measure intermediate outcomes related to LEP
patients' access to language services, comprehension, and satisfaction
with services.
(10) Semi-Structured Follow-Up Interview to assess hospitals'
experiences implementing the training module. This semi-structured
interview's target audience consists of up to two master-trainers or
change team members in each hospital where the training module is
implemented. These interviews will be conducted 3 times at the 2-week,
6-week and 10- week mark after the training.
(11) Semi-Structured Site Visit Interview to assess the hospitals'
experiences implementing the training module. This semi-structured
interview's target audience consists of up to 6 persons who may include
master-trainers, change team members, frontline staff members, or other
persons designated by the ``hospital champion'' as persons who might
provide insight into module implementation and outcomes. These
interviews will be conducted 3 months after the training.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 presents estimates of the reporting burden hours for this
one-year data collection process. Time estimates are based on
experience with similar instruments used with comparable respondents.
The Readiness Assessment Survey will be completed by the key contact/
project champion at each of the 3 participating hospitals and will take
about 5 minutes. The pre-work for the Master-Training will be completed
by the two trainers selected for each site and will take about 30
minutes. The Master-Training will be conducted with 2 staff members
from each hospital and will last 4.5 hours; the burden estimate of 12.5
hours includes 8 hours of travel time to and from the training site.
Staff Training will include up to 30 staff members at each hospital
(plus the 2 trainers who are staff members) and will last 1 hour. The
Training Participant Satisfaction Survey will be completed by Staff
Training participants at the end of the training and takes 5 minutes to
complete. The Learning Outcomes Survey will be administered twice,
before and after the training, and will require 10 minutes. The Pre-
Training Behavior Survey will be administered to all staff invited to
the training except for interpreters. It will require approximately 5
minutes. Interpreters do not complete this questionnaire because the
questions relate to interpreter use. The Post-training Behavior survey
will be administered two or more weeks after the training to all staff
who were invited to the training, and will take approximately 7.5
minutes to complete. The Patient Outcome Survey will be administered
twice, before and after the intervention, to a sample of approximately
90 patients (30 from each of the 3 participating hospitals) and
requires about 10 minutes to complete. Semi-Structured Follow-up
interviews will be conducted three times over a 12-week period with two
master trainers or change team members from each hospital. Each semi-
structured follow-up interview will last for about an hour. Semi-
Structured Site visit interviews will be conducted with 6 staff members
from each hospital and will take an hour to complete. The total
annualized burden hours are estimated to be 295 hours.
Exhibit 2 presents the estimated annualized cost burden associated
with the respondents' time to participate in this research. The total
cost burden is estimated to be about $6,980.
[[Page 10904]]
Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized burden hours
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Number of
Data collection method Number of responses per Hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
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Readiness Assessment Survey..................... 3 1 5/60 0.25
Pre-Work for Master-Training.................... 3 2 30/60 3
Train the Trainer Training...................... 3 2 12.5 75
Staff Training.................................. 3 32 1 96
Training Participant Satisfaction Survey........ 3 30 5/60 8
Learning Outcomes Survey........................ 3 60 10/60 30
Pre-Training Behavior Survey.................... 3 25 5/60 6
Post-Training Behavior Survey................... 3 30 7.5/60 11
Patient Outcome Survey.......................... 90 2 10/60 30
Semi-Structured Follow-up interview............. 3 6 1 18
Semi-Structured Site visit interview............ 3 6 1 18
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Totals...................................... 117 na na 295
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Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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Number of Total burden Average hourly Totals cost
Data collection method respondents hours wage rate * burden
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Readiness Assessment Survey..................... 3 0.25 $26.50 $7
Pre-Work for Master-Training.................... 3 3 26.50 80
Train the Trainer Training...................... 3 75 26.50 1,988
Staff Training.................................. 3 96 22.02 2,114
Training Participant Satisfaction Survey........ 3 8 22.02 176
Learning Outcomes Survey........................ 3 30 22.02 661
Pre-Training Behavior Survey.................... 3 6 22.04 132
Post-Training Behavior Survey................... 3 11 $22.02 $242
Patient Outcome Survey.......................... 90 30 20.90 627
Semi-Structured Follow-up interview............. 3 18 26.50 477
Semi-Structured Site visit interview............ 3 18 26.50 477
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Totals...................................... 117 295 na 6,980
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* The average hourly wage rate for readiness assessments, train-the-trainer trainings, semi-structured site
visit interviews, and semi-structured follow-up interviews was calculated based on the average of the mean
hourly wage rate for healthcare practitioners and medical occupations (all professions), $31.02 and the
average hourly wage rate for interpreters and translators, $21.97. The average hourly rate for staff receiving
training was calculated based on the average of the mean hourly wage rate for healthcare practitioners and
medical occupations (all professions), $31.02, mean hourly wage rate for interpreters and translators, $21.97,
and mean hourly wage rate for healthcare support occupations, $13.06. The average hourly wage rate for
respondents to the pre-training behavior survey was calculated based on the average of the mean hourly wage
rate for healthcare practitioners and medical occupations (all professions), $31.02, and mean hourly wage rate
for healthcare support occupations, $13.06. The average hourly wage rate for patients was calculated on the
mean hourly wage rate for all occupations. Average hourly rate for unit staff, non-interpreter was calculated
based on the average of the mean hourly rate for healthcare practitioners and medical occupations (all
professions), $31.02, and occupations (all professions), $31.02, mean hourly wage rate for interpreters and
translators, $21.97, and mean hourly wage rate for healthcare support occupations, $13.06. Mean hourly wage
rates for these groups of occupations were obtained from the Bureau of Labor & Statistics on ``Occupational
Employment and Wages, May 2009'' found at the following urls: http://www.hls.gov/oes/current/naics4_622100.htm, http://www.hls.gov/ocs/current/ocs273091.htm, http://www.hls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm.
Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal Government
The total cost of this contract to the government is $499,978. The
project extends over 4 fiscal years, although data collection will take
place over the course of a single year. Exhibit 3 shows a breakdown of
the total cost as well as the annualized cost for the data collection,
processing and analysis activity.
Exhibit 3--Estimated Cost
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Cost component Total cost Annual cost
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Project Development..................... $301,664 $75,416
Data Collection Activities.............. 52,629 13,157
Data Processing and Analysis............ 52,629 13,157
Publication of Results.................. 51,658 12,915
Project Management...................... 41,399 10,350
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Total............................... 499,978 124,995
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[[Page 10905]]
Request for Comments
In accordance with the above-cited Paperwork Reduction Act
legislation, comments on AHRQ's information collection are requested
with regard to any of the following: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
AHRQ healthcare research and healthcare information dissemination
functions, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of AHRQ's estimate of burden (including hours
and costs) of the proposed collection(s) 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 upon the respondents, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and included in the Agency's subsequent request for OMB approval of the
proposed information collection. All comments will become a matter of
public record.
Dated: February 15, 2011.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-4135 Filed 2-25-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M