Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 226 / Wednesday, November 24, 2004 / Notices 68375

respirable dust, and (2) identify the 

types of changes that miners could make 

in order to try to reduce their exposure. 

Although the most recent data on the 

prevalence of Coal Workers’

Pneumoconiosis (CWP) in the United 

States indicates that it is declining, 

substantial numbers of CWP cases 

continue to be diagnosed. In recent 

years, CWP has contributed to the 

deaths of approximately 1,000 people in 

the U.S. each year. 

A personal dust monitor (PDM) has 

recently been developed through a 

collaboration involving NIOSH, the 

Bituminous Coal Operators’

Association, the United Mine Workers 

of America, the National Mining 

Association, and Rupprecht & 

Patashnick Co., Inc. This new device 

represents a major advance in the tools 

available for assessing coal miners’

exposure to respirable dust levels. It 

will soon be field tested with coal 

miners throughout the U.S. As with the 

introduction of any new technology, it 

is very important to systematically 

document how workers react to it and 

make use of it. If miners know how to 

properly use the information PDMs are 

capable of providing, they should be 

able to make adjustments to their work 

place or work procedures that will 

reduce their exposure to respirable coal 

dust. 

Various parties have speculated about 

the processes by which miners will use 

the information to reduce their exposure 

to respirable dust. There appears to be 

great potential. However, no one knows 

precisely how miners performing a wide 

variety of tasks and jobs are actually 

going to use this new information to 

reduce their exposure to dust. It is 

assumed that, once PDMs are 

introduced, miners will eventually find 

new ways to reduce their exposure to 

dust. Once these discoveries are made, 

they need to be documented and shared 

throughout the industry. The diffusion 

of this innovation will occur much more 

rapidly and efficiently if this proposed 

study takes place. Effective strategies for 

using PDM information will be well 

documented and quickly shared 

throughout the coal industry. The 

alternative is to wait for the miners at 

each of the 439 actively producing coal 

mines in the U.S. to go through their 

own trial and error process of 

discovering how PDMs can and cannot 

be used to reduce dust exposure. The 

proposed study will help to 

significantly reduce the incidence of 

lung disease among coal miners, leading 

to improvements in their longevity and 

quality of life. The information for this 

study will be collected by conducting 

one-on-one structured interviews with 

approximately 20 miners at each of 5 

mines located throughout the major coal 

producing regions of the U.S. This 

survey will last 2 years. There will be 

no cost to respondents except their time 

to participate.

Respondents Number of respondents 

Number of responses

per respondent 

Average burden per response

(in hours) 

Total burden

(in hours) 

Coal Miners ...................................................................................................... 100 1 30/60 50 

Total .......................................................................................................... ........................ ........................ ........................ 50 

Dated: November 17, 2004. 

B. Kathy Skipper, 

Acting Director, Management Analysis and 

Services Office, Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention.

[FR Doc. 04–26022 Filed 11–23–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

[60Day–05–0212] 

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 404–498–1210 or send 

comments to Sandi Gambescia, CDC 

Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 

1600 Clifton Road, MS–E11, Atlanta, GA 

30333 or send an e-mail to 

omb@cdc.gov.

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. Written comments should 

be received within 60 days of this 

notice. 

Proposed Project 

National Hospital Discharge Survey 

(OMB No. 0920–0212)—Extension—

National Center for Health Statistics 

(NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC). 

The National Hospital Discharge 

Survey (NHDS) has been conducted 

continuously by CDC, National Center 

for Health Statistics since 1965. It is the 

principal source of data on inpatient 

utilization of short-stay, non-Federal 

hospitals and is the only annual source 

of nationally representative estimates on 

the characteristics of discharges, the 

lengths of stay, diagnoses, surgical and 

non-surgical procedures, and the 

patterns of use of care in hospitals in 

various regions of the country. It is the 

benchmark against which special 

programmatic data sources are 

compared. Data collected through the 

NHDS are essential for evaluating the 

health status of the population, 

planning of programs and policy to 

elevate the health status of the Nation, 

studying morbidity trends, and research 

activities in the health field. NHDS data 

have been used extensively in the 

development and monitoring of goals 

for the Year 2000 and 2010 Health 

Objectives. In addition, NHDS data 

provide annual updates for numerous 

tables in the Congressionally-mandated 

NCHS report, Health, United States. 

Data for the NHDS are collected 

annually on approximately 300,000 

discharges from a nationally 

representative sample of 

noninstitutional hospitals exclusive of 

Federal, military and Veterans’

Administration hospitals. The data 

items collected are the basic core of

68376 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 226 / Wednesday, November 24, 2004 / Notices 

variables contained in the Uniform 

Hospital Discharge Data Set (UHDDS) in 

addition to two data items (admission 

type and source) which are identical to 

those needed for billing of inpatient 

services for Medicare patients. In the 

2003 NHDS, 426 hospitals participated. 

Data for approximately forty-four 

percent of the responding hospitals 

(186) are abstracted from medical 

records. The remaining hospitals supply 

data through in-house tapes or printouts 

(80 hospitals) or are hospitals that 

belong to commercial abstract service 

organizations or state data systems (160 

hospitals) from which electronic data 

files are purchased. There is no actual 

cost to respondents since hospital staff 

who actively participate in the data 

collection effort are compensated by the 

government for their time.

Medical record abstracts 

Number of 

respondents

(hospitals) 

Number of 

responses/

respondent 

Average burden/response

(in hrs.) 

Total burden 

hours 

Primary Procedure Hospitals ................................................................................... 62 250 5/60 1,292

Alternate Procedure Hospitals ................................................................................. 124 250 1/60 517 

In-House Tape or Printout Hospitals ....................................................................... 80 12 12/60 192 

Induction Forms ....................................................................................................... 15 1 2 30 

Non-response Study ................................................................................................ 50 1 2 100 

Total .................................................................................................................. ...................... ...................... ...................... 2,131 

Dated: November 12, 2004. 

B. Kathy Skipper, 

Acting Director, Management Analysis and 

Services Office, Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention.

[FR Doc. 04–26023 Filed 11–23–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

[60Day–05AH] 

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 404–498–1210 or send 

comments to Sandi Gambescia, CDC 

Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 

1600 Clifton Road, MS–E11, Atlanta, GA 

30333 or send an e-mail to 

omb@cdc.gov.

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. Written comments should 

be received within 60 days of this 

notice. 

Proposed Project 

A Comprehensive Evaluation of an 

Approach to Self-Management: 

‘‘Diabetes: Living My Best Life’’—New—

National Center for Chronic Disease 

Prevention and Health Promotion 

(NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC). 

Background and Brief Description:

African-American women are more than 

twice as likely as white women to be 

diagnosed with diabetes, and two and 

one-half times as likely to die from 

diabetic complications. The onset of 

type 2 diabetes in African-American 

adults is attributable not only to a 

genetic link, but also to an unhealthy 

lifestyle. The vast number of AfricanAmerican women with type 2 diabetes 

report having a sedentary lifestyle and 

eating a diet high in fat. In addition to 

taking medications, lifestyle 

modifications, such as changes in diet, 

weight loss and participating in a lowimpact exercise program, can 

significantly reduce the complications 

experienced by women with type 2 

diabetes. Unfortunately, there is a 

scarcity of training and educational 

materials on type 2 diabetes targeting 

the African-American woman. The 

limited availability of targeted 

educational materials has undoubtedly 

contributed to an inability to manage 

and control this disease in this 

population and has resulted in a higher 

prevalence of disease-related comorbidities. There is a need for 

innovative interventions that can be 

used in a variety of settings and which 

feature culturally appropriate 

information that will engage AfricanAmerican women with type 2 diabetes 

in a proactive role in the treatment and 

management of their disease. 

The proposed project is the evaluation 

of a CD–ROM educational program: 

‘‘Diabetes: Living My Best Life.’’ This 

product has been developed to teach 

African American women with type 2 

diabetes self-management skills. Social 

Learning Theory (SLT) was used in the 

development of the product and the 

selection of the media elements. 

Selection of the information and tools 

was guided by input from an advisory 

board composed of professionals in the 

field and African American women with 

type 2 diabetes. 

To evaluate this program there will be 

two questionnaires: a pre-test and a 

post-test. The two questionnaires will 

include questions on: 

• Respondent demographic 

information (pre-test only). 

• Respondent use of computers (pretest only). 

• Knowledge of diabetes. 

• Self-efficacy in addressing diabetes 

self-management issues. 

• Diabetes self-care activities. 

• Feeling of empowerment around 

diabetes self-management. 

• Social learning theory elements 

(post-test only). 

Pre and post intervention data will be 

collected by computer. Burden 

estimates are based on observation of 

African-American women with type 2 

diabetes who completed a formal pilot 

test of the pre and post-test forms. There 

are no costs to respondents except their 

time to participate in the survey.