NCCAM cover memo 112911[1]

DATE: November 29, 2011

TO: Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Through: Reports Clearance Officer, DHHS

Project Clearance Chief, NIH

Project Clearance Liaison, NCCAM

FROM: Alyssa Cotler

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

SUBJECT: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Communications Program Planning and Evaluation - OMB Control Number 0925-0530, expiration date January 31, 2014

The staff of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Office of Communications plans to a series of one-on-one telephone interviews under OMB Control Number 0925-0530, expiration date January 31, 2014. NCCAM is interested in talking with leaders from various research and provider professional associations to assess knowledge and gather opinions about research on complementary and alternative medicine and NCCAM’s role in the research process. These interviews will help inform how we can best communicate about research opportunities and research results to these audiences.

Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

NCCAM recently released its third strategic plan, which outlines priorities for research. NCCAM is reviewing elements of its communications efforts to ensure it is using appropriate opportunities to better explain its mission, research activities, and the role it plays in relevant health research. It is necessary to assess information needs and better understand how the vocabulary used to identify research on complementary and alternative medicine is shifting (i.e., complementary and alternative medicine versus integrative health), and to gauge what language is preferable.

To inform this process, NCCAM plans to conduct qualitative research to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of thought leaders about NCCAM and their insights and advice on how to best reach these audiences with factual, evidence-based information about research opportunities and research results on complementary and alternative medicine.

Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

These interviews will help assess current knowledge and perceptions about research on complementary and alternative medicine and the preferred vocabulary for doing so. Using the respondents’ feedback, NCCAM will develop strategies, tactics, and materials to better respond to the information needs or gaps that may be identified.

We will recruit up to 30 respondents who represent leadership at targeted professional provider and researcher associations. The interviews will be administered via telephone, and no additional technology will be used. Completion will be voluntary with no payment and individual responses will be secure to the extent permitted by law. Findings will be used by NCCAM for program planning purposes and will not be published.

Estimates of Burden Hours and Costs

Type of Respondents	Number of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Average Time per Response	Annual Hour Burden	Respondent Cost
Association representatives	30	1	0.5	15 hours	$0