Part A. FDA Documentation for the Generic Clearance

FDA DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS GROUPS

The generic clearance will only be used for customer satisfaction and website usability surveys where FDA seeks to gather information that is planned for internal use only, and can provide a justification for qualitative or anecdotal collections that may nonetheless produce useful information for program and service improvement.

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:  Career Epidemiology Field Officer (CEFO) Program Stakeholder Survey

DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIFIC COLLECTION

1. Statement of need: 

The Career Epidemiology Field Officer (CEFO) Program Customer Satisfaction Survey will help evaluate the impact of the CEFO Program. The CEFO program is responsible for placing field assignees in state and local health departments throughout the United States to address gaps in public health preparedness and epidemiology capacity. The program was instituted in 2002 after the terrorist attacks in 2001. This program assigns Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) trained epidemiologists in each state and metropolitan statistical area health department.

CEFO contributions include:

• Strengthening state and local surveillance systems

• Conducting outbreak investigations and response

• Developing response plans for major public health emergencies

• Building partnerships with governmental agencies and other organizations for emergency preparedness

• Serving as liaisons to CDC and DHHS response teams and other resources

• Leading portions of the state’s planning and response activities for pandemic influenza

• Leading or participating in state or local emergency response exercises

• Providing expertise on the design of epidemiologic investigations, conducting studies as appropriate, analyzing data, and publishing findings

To date there has not been a systematic evaluation of the CEFO program. The proposed customer satisfaction survey is one of the key means that will be used to inform the review by obtaining input from our customers (state and local public health departments) on the CEFO program. In addition, the survey will help evaluate the value that the program has provided for improving public health preparedness and emergency response.

2. Intended use of information: 

The data collection will help inform the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response Board of Scientific Counselors’ external peer review of the CEFO Program in 2011. The survey will be a one-time data collection to help evaluate the impact of the CEFO Program. The Board of Scientific Counselors conducts periodic reviews of scientific programs in the national centers to advise the CDC Director and HHS Secretary about strategies and goals.

There has not been a systematic evaluation of the CEFO Program, and the customer satisfaction survey will help assess the program’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. In addition, the survey will help evaluate the value that the program has provided for improving public health preparedness and emergency response.

3. Description of respondents: 

Respondents to the CEFO Customer Satisfaction Survey will include state epidemiologists and Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Directors in state and metropolitan statistical areas (e.g., Chicago, Los Angeles County) who currently have CEFO assignees, previously had CEFO assignees, and have never had CEFO assignees.

4. Date(s) to be Conducted: 

April 4 - 18, 2011 or contingent upon OMB approval.

5. How the Information is being collected:

SPSS® Data Collection web-based survey tool

6. Confidentiality of Respondents:

No IIF is being collected.

7. Amount and justification for any proposed incentive

Respondents will not be remunerated.

8. Questions of a Sensitive Nature

We will not ask questions of a sensitive nature.

9. Description of Statistical Methods

Respondents to the CEFO Customer Satisfaction Survey will include state epidemiologists and Emergency Preparedness Directors in state and metropolitan statistical areas (e.g., Chicago, Los Angeles County) who currently have CEFO assignees, previously had CEFO assignees, and have never had CEFO assignees. Each respondent will provide one response to the survey instrument, which will take approximately 18 minutes to complete. Thus, the total burden for the survey is approximately 56 hours.

Potential respondents will be notified about the survey prior to distributing the survey. To increase participation, respondents will be reminded about the survey after it has been released. The following analyses will be conducted where appropriate: regression analysis, qualitative data analysis, quantitative data analysis, stratified analysis, multivariate analysis, appropriate tests for statistical significance, statistical result interpretation and cluster design analysis.

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response or participation time in minutes (/60) = annual burden hours):

Type/Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (minutes)	Burden (hours)
State Epidemiologists and Emergency Preparedness Directors in state and local health departments	186	18/60	56

REQUESTED APPROVAL DATE:  [insert]

NAME OF PRA ANALYST & PROGRAM CONTACT:   [insert]

FDA CENTER:  [insert]