[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 145 (Tuesday, July 29, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40535-40536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19893]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30DAY-17-97]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Office on (404) 639-7090. Send written 
comments to CDC, Desk Officer; Human Resources and Housing Branch, New 
Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    1. National Surveillance System for Hospital Health Care workers 
(NASH)--New--CDC has developed a surveillance system that focuses on 
surveillance of exposures and infections among hospital-based health 
care workers (HCWs). This system, modeled after the National Nosocomial 
Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system for patient infections, includes 
standardized methodology for various occupational health issues (OMB 
0920-0012). The Hospital Infections Program, National Center for 
Infectious Diseases (NCID) has developed this system in collaboration 
with the Hepatitis Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, 
NCID; the Division of Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination, National Center 
for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention; the National Immunization Program 
(NIP), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH).
    The NASH system consists of modules for collection of data about 
various occupational issues. Baseline information about each HCW such 
as demographics, immune-status for vaccine-preventable diseases, and TB 
status is collected when the HCW is enrolled in the system. Results of 
routine tuberculin skin test (TST) are collected and entered in the 
system every time a TST is placed and read. In the event that an HCW is 
exposed to blood/bloodborne pathogen, to a vaccine-preventable disease, 
or to a TB infectious patient/HCW, epidemiologic data will be collected 
about the exposure. For HCWs exposed to a bloodborne pathogen (i.e., 
HIV, HCV, or HBC), follow-up data will be collected during the follow-
up visits. Once a year, the hospitals will perform a survey to assess 
the level of under reporting of needlesticks (HCW Survey) and will 
complete a hospital survey to provide denominator data. Data will be 
sent entered into the software and diskettes will be sent to CDC. No 
identifiers of the HCW will be sent to CDC. This system is protected by 
the Assurance of Confidentiality (308d).
    Data collected in this surveillance system will assist hospitals, 
HCWs, HCW organizations, and public health agencies. This system will 
allow CDC to monitor national trends, to identify newly emerging 
hazards for HCWs, to assess the risk of occupational infection, and to 
evaluate preventive measures, including engineering controls, work 
practices, protective equipment, and postexposure prophylaxis to 
prevent occupationally acquired infections. Hospitals who volunteer to 
participate in this system will benefit by receiving technical support 
and standardized methodologies, including software, for conducting 
surveillance activities on occupational health.
    This system has been developed and piloted in large teaching 
hospitals. Prior to implementation in a nationwide network of 
hospitals, an expansion of this pilot project to include more medium/
small size hospitals is essential for further refinement of protocols 
and software. The first pilot project ran from October 1994 to 
September 1996 (RFP-200-94-0834(P)) and included four hospitals; the 
second pilot started in October 1996 (RFP-200-96-0524(P)) and includes 
five hospitals. Fifteen hospitals are expected to participate in this 
proposed project, including the five currently participating. Once the 
expanded pilot project is completed, the system will be made available 
to all short-term care hospitals in the United States who wish to 
voluntarily participate in this project. The total annual burden hours 
are 14,554.

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                                                                                                       Average  
                                                                           Number of    Number of      burden/  
                               Respondents                                respondents   responses/  response (in
                                                                                       respondents     hours)   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline Information Form...............................................           15        1,500        0.3333
TST--Result Form........................................................           15        1,500        0.1666
TST--Evaluation Form....................................................           15           13        0.1666
Exposure to Blood Form..................................................           15          100        0.4166
Exposure to Blood Follow-up Form........................................           15           50        0.25  
Exposure to vaccine-prv. dis--Summary Form..............................           15            8        0.3333
Exposure to vaccine-prv. dis--HCW Form..................................           15           16        0.3333
Exposure to TB Form.....................................................           15            3        0.50  
Exposure to Non-Infectious Injury Form..................................           15          133        0.3333
Exposures to Blood During Surgery Form..................................           15           80        0.1666
Exposures to Blood During OB Deliveries Form............................           15           80        0.1666
HCW Survey..............................................................           15          500        0.1666
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<SUP>* The same 15 hospitals will be completing the 12 separate forms listed above. The number of respondents        
  includes x number of employees times each of 15 hospitals.                                                    


[[Page 40536]]

Wilma G. Johnson,
Acting Associate Director for Policy Planning And Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 97-19893 Filed 7-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P