SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

When submitting comments or requesting information, please include the ICR title for reference.

Information Collection Request Title: Questionnaire and Data Collection Testing, Evaluation, and Research for HRSA —OMB No. 0915-0379— Revision.

Abstract: The purpose of this umbrella ICR is to inform the development of new questions, questionnaires, and tools; pilot/pre-test instruments under development; and identify problems in instruments currently in use by soliciting feedback from members of the public. Using this ICR, individual information collections related to the development or revision of HRSA data collection instruments go through an abbreviated approval process called a “generic” or “fast-track” information collection. This allows program offices to efficiently gather a suitable pool of candidates within the varied time periods available for participant recruitment.

Information collected under this generic clearance will not be used for data collection, reports, or policy documents to be released to the public. It is anticipated that data collection approved under this generic clearance will rely heavily on qualitative techniques and not the collection of numerical data. In general, these activities are not designed to yield results that meet generally accepted standards of statistical rigor but designed to obtain information to develop clearer and more effective and efficient data collection tools that will yield more accurate results and decrease public non-response. The forms submitted under this generic clearance will be voluntary, low-burden, and uncontroversial.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: HRSA conducts interviews, focus groups, cognitive testing, usability tests, field tests/pilot interviews, and surveys for data collection instrument development and evaluation (including assessment of ( printed page 36870) response errors in data collection instruments). HRSA staff use various techniques to evaluate data collection instruments such as interviewer-administered, self-administered, telephone, Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing, Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing, Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing, and web-based questionnaires.

Professionally recognized procedures are followed in each information collection activity to ensure collection of high-quality information. Examples of these procedures could include the following:

• Monitoring by supervisory staff of some telephone interviews;
• Conducting interviews using methods including “think-aloud” techniques and debriefings;
• Computerizing data entry from mail or paper-and-pencil surveys using scannable forms or double-key entry (i.e., two people input the data from mail or paper-and-pencil surveys into an electronic format, and then comparing the two sets of entries for anomalies);
• Monitoring by observers of focus groups and recording (e.g., video recording, audio recording) of focus group proceedings (subject to participant consent); and
• Employing commonly used statistical validation techniques to ensure accuracy (such as disallowing out-of-range values) of data submitted through on-line surveys.

Each information collection under this ICR will specify the specific testing and evaluation procedures to be used. Participation will be fully voluntary, and non-participation will not affect eligibility for, or receipt of, future HRSA health services research activities or grant awards, recruitment, or participation. Appropriate consent procedures will be customized and used for each information collection activity and any collection of personal, privacy-protected information will be handled in accordance with all applicable federal requirements. If HRSA wishes to record the encounter, the respondent's permission to record will be obtained before beginning the interview. If consent is not provided, the interview will either not be recorded or not be conducted. When screening is used ( e.g., quota sampling), the screening will be as brief as possible, and the screening questionnaire will be provided to OMB for review.

The particular information collection methods used will vary, but may include the following:

• Individual in-depth interviews—In-depth interviews will commonly be used to ensure that the respondent understands the meaning of a questionnaire or strategy. When in-depth interviewing is used, the interview guide will be provided to OMB for review.
• Focus groups—Focus groups will be used to obtain insights into beliefs and understandings of the target audience early in the development of a questionnaire or tool. When focus groups are used, the focus group discussion guide will be provided to OMB for review.
• Expert/Gatekeeper review of tools—In some instances, medical providers or other gatekeepers may review tools to provide feedback on the acceptability and usability of a particular tool. This will usually be in addition to an individual user pretesting the tool.
• Record abstractions—On occasion, the development of a tool or other information collection requires review and interaction with records, rather than individuals.
• “Dress rehearsal” of a specific protocol—In some instances, the proposed pre-testing will constitute a walkthrough of the intended data collection procedure. In these cases, the request will mirror what is expected to occur for the larger scale data collection.

Likely Respondents: HRSA partners are typically state or local governments, health care facilities, health care consortia, health care providers, and researchers. HRSA partners may also include individuals served by HRSA programs and/or funding recipients. Participation in any collections under this clearance will be entirely voluntary, and the privacy of respondents will be preserved to the extent requested by participants and as permitted by law.

Respondents will be recruited by means of advertisements in public venues or through techniques that replicate prospective data collection activities that are the focus of the project. For instance, a survey on physician communication, designed to be administered following an office visit, might be pretested using the same procedure. Each ICR will specify the recruitment procedure to be used.

Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the information requested. This includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information. The total annual burden hours estimated for this ICR are summarized in the table below.

HRSA specifically requests comments on: (1) the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

91 FR 36869