FastTrack GenIC Request

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0920-1027)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

2018 NPIN Evaluation Focus Groups

PURPOSE:

It has been several years since NPIN was last evaluated (2012). The landscape of health communication and health technology has changed considerably. Understanding how NPIN customers perceive and use the platform will enable us to improve it to better meet their needs.

The purpose of this effort is to evaluate awareness, perceptions, and utilization of NPIN services by gathering data from external customers (e.g. health department employees, community based organizations, and individual public health practitioners) to determine how to make NPIN a stronger service and platform for public health professionals.

The goals of this evaluation are to

1. Evaluate utilization, satisfaction and ways of improving existing services.

2. Determine failures, successes and areas of improvement.

3. Gauge future needs of internal and external NPIN customers.

NPIN currently collects no information on its customers. The focus groups will provide in-depth feedback on all NPIN features, services, materials, and prevention resources from public health professionals in managerial positions who interact regularly with the NPIN platform. This valuable feedback will contribute to NPIN’s long-term strategic goals and planning.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Respondents will include state and local health department managers, supervisors, employees, health care providers, public health program professionals, researchers or academics, and private sector employees who work to prevent HIV, STD, Viral Hepatitis, and TB. Focus groups will include organization leadership and management positions (managers), and middle- or lower-level staff members (rank and file staff) in such organizations. All participants are required to have experience with NPIN services.

Respondents are defined as:

1. Individuals, which consist of, public health professionals who work for health or public health organizations (e.g. health educators in a community based organization, physicians, nurses)

2. Private Sector, which consists of public health professionals who work for private companies (e.g. government contractors, corporate wellness groups)

3. State, local, or tribal government, which consist of staff who work in state, local, or tribal public health organizations or health departments (e.g. public health information officers, epidemiologists, health educators)

Target key markets have been identified for the in-depth focus groups, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. These markets were chosen to ensure we capture any feedback that may be unique to various regions of the United States. Other markets may be selected if there are not enough respondents from those identified. Respondents will be asked to provide their opinions and utilization on NPIN services.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ X] Focus Group [] Other:

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Everett Long ydv9@cdc.gov ____________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ X] Yes [] No

After participants complete the focus group, we will provide a token of a $75 gift cards. This is in accordance with the recommendation from the ICR Procedure recommendations Manual for high burden as defined as 90 minutes or more. The amount is justified given experience and professional qualifications in public health necessary to provide the richest data. Additionally, we will be taking 2 hours out of their workday for the focus groups in addition to travel time to arrive to the focus group facility. This is appropriate for the time given an estimated national average of $23.95 hourly rates for public health professionals in a health department.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Screener – Managers	80	1/60	1.33
State, local, or tribal government - Managers	30	120/60	60
Individuals – Managers	5	120/60	10
Private Sector - Managers	5	120/60	10
Screener – Rank and File	80	1/60	1.33
State, local, or tribal government – Rank and File	30	120/60	60
Individuals – Rank and File	5	120/60	10
Private Sector – Rank and File	5	120/60	10
Totals	240		163 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $_64,000

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

Respondents will be selected primarily from NPIN’s current Granicus GovDelivery Email lists. Respondents will be selected from NPIN’s GovDelivery email list, which contains over 50,000 unique emails. GovDelivery is an email communication platform that NPIN uses to communicate with its public health professional network. Participants on NPIN’s GovDelivery email lists have previously self-opted in to receive emails periodically from NPIN. Participation in the focus groups will be solicited through a recruitment email that will be sent out to this email list. Participation is voluntary and participants will be complete a detail constant form up both electronically and in person should they choose to attend a focus group. A screener will ask a series of questions to qualify that participants meet the defined inclusion criteria. If individuals are located in a target market, they will be asked if they would be willing to be contacted to participate in a local focus group. Other markets may be selected if there are not enough respondents from those identified. Up to four (4) reminder emails will be sent to participants who do not respond on the first request.

Respondents who agree to be contacted for a focus group, will receive a follow up email with dates, times, and location of the focus group.

To supplement the focus groups, we may also request recommendations from key NCHHSTP staff. In each of five NCHHSTP Divisions, staff will be allowed to proposed individuals for interview in any of the target cities.

Respondents, who are confirmed focus group participants will not participate in the NPIN web-based survey complementing this evaluation.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ X] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X ] Yes [] No

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