Att H - Focus Group Script

Attachment H – Focus Group Script

Form approved

OMB No. 0920-0879

Expiration Date: 03/31/2014

<Display slide 1 – Attachment F>

Welcome, thank you for joining us today for our focus group. As described in our email invitation, we are here to discuss the characteristics of the Crash Outcomes Data Evaluation System (CODES) and similar State Linkage Systems that are related to successful data linkage and analysis. We conducted a assessment of states who had CODES/linkage programs during December and January. During this session, we will present initial results from that assessment, ask for feedback on some of them, and ask new questions based on the results. Today’s session will be recorded so that members of the research team can listen to the recordings to identify general themes and conduct analysis. The data will be kept anonymous and no individual results will be released with either your name or state attached to them.

We’d first like to introduce the members of the team that are joining for today’s call. I am Jackie Milani and I will be serving as the facilitator. I am a research project coordinator with the University of Maryland Baltimore, National Study Center for Trauma and EMS. Also joining are (CDC Representatives, NHTSA Representatives, and NSC Representatives).

<Display slide 2-Attachment F >

I’d like to ask everyone joining us today to introduce his- or herself by giving his/her name, job title, organization, and verbally let us know that you agree to be recorded. Once we finish with our introductions we will formally begin our session.

<Display slide 3-Attachment F>

Thank you for those great introductions. We are going to now move on to talk with you about the flow of our session today. We will begin by sharing the objectives, move on to establish working ground rules and then start the actual question and answer session.

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 120 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer; 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-0879)

<Display slide 4-Attachment F>

So our Objectives for today are:

To gain a better understanding of the characteristics of successful linkage and analysis programs in your state

To identify barriers and facilitators of current linkage and analysis programs in your state and

To learn more about the sustainability of linkage and analysis programs for the future.

Does anyone have any questions or feedback for us to this point?

<Display slide 5-Attachment F >

Ok great then we will move on as a group to establish our ground rules.

We’re going to share some of the rules that we have established and then ask you to contribute some additional ideas. Here are some base ground rules:

• The focus group session will run for 2 hours and no longer.

• There are six areas that will need to be covered in that 2 hour time period. We will have a separate person serve as time keeper for the session to help us stay on task.

• No answer is a bad answer.

• All participants will be asked to give some information. We will try to go around the room encouraging everyone to respond to each question in some manner.

• And as a reminder again, all information and ideas will be recorded.

Does anyone have any additional ideas to contribute to our ground rules?

At this point discuss ideas for ground rules and add new ones.

Now we will start with the question and answer session. For some of the questions we will be showing you relevant results from the assessment that was recently conducted on CODES/linkage programs. These will be displayed on your computer screen.

<Display slide 6-Attachment F>

We’ll start the first section with questions about the agencies involved in your linkage project.

• For our first question, please look at this slide that shows the assessment responses to the question of which agency is responsible for coordinating the linkage project.

  • In thinking about these results, can you share some of the advantages of each of these types of agencies being involved with the coordination of a linkage project?

  • Can you share some of the disadvantages of each of these types of agencies being involved with the coordination of a linkage project?

• If while working on your linkage project you have worked on small-groups or sub-committees outside of your board of directors or advisors

  • Share with us the reasons why these small-groups or sub-committees may have been formed.

  • Share with us some of the successes that your group encountered while working in this type of setting?

  • Share with us some of the barriers that your group encountered while working in this type of setting?

• If while working on your linkage project you have never worked on small-groups or sub-committees outside of your board of directors or advisors, can you share with us the reasons why small-groups or sub-committees may have never been formed?

(Display slide 7-Attachment F)

• Shown on the screen is a list of agencies that we found from our assessment that were most frequently mentioned as being represented on your linkage/CODES Board of Directors or Advisors.

  • Which agencies do you believe are needed to perform

    • the linkage

    • to analyze the results

  • How do these agencies uniquely contribute to your efforts in linking the three data sets?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

Next we’ll talk about funding linkage programs.

<Display slide 8-Attachment F >

This slideshows the various sources of funding identified from the assessment.

• Which of these is the primary funding source for your linkage program?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• For each of these agencies, which funding streams, grant titles, or program areas are used to provide funding to your linkage program?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• Where do you plan to obtain funding for your linkage program in the future? (brainstorm ideas)

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• If you perform analysis of linked data do you establish a means to charge for those products or deliverables?

  • If so, please describe and explain how charges are calculated.

  • Are there different charges based on the nature and type of the requesting agency?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

Now we’d like to move on and discuss the organizations who have used your linked data along with the way in which these data were used.

(Show slide 9-Attachment F)

This slide shows the percentage of states that interact with various state and regional organizations along with the frequency of data interactions.

• Please describe the types of interactions you have with these organizations .

• The next question is going to be displayed to you on the screen. We would like to ask you to give us some immediate feedback about the types of products that you have created for each of these organizations using your linked data:

Following Slide 9 during the focus group session will be an interactive “Poll” run through Go To Meeting. Using this technology presenters hope to continue to engage participants in the focus group session, obtain some additional information for use with later analysis, and to provide immediate feedback to participants about the types of products that the states have been able to produce.

The focus group facilitator will work through each of the five polls collecting the information and sharing the results.

1. Share a response: Using your linked data, indicate the agencies that you have you ever prepared FACTSHEETS for:

Traffic Records Coordinating Committee

Department of Public Health Injury Surveillance

Strategic Highway Safety Plan

NHTSA Regional Office

State Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program

2. Share a response: Using your linked data, indicate the agencies that you have you ever prepared REPORTS for:

Traffic Records Coordinating Committee

Department of Public Health Injury Surveillance

Strategic Highway Safety Plan

NHTSA Regional Office

State Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program

3. Share a response: Using your linked data, indicate the agencies that you have you ever prepared DATA BOOKS for:

Traffic Records Coordinating Committee

Department of Public Health Injury Surveillance

Strategic Highway Safety Plan

NHTSA Regional Office

State Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program

4. Share a response: Using your linked data, indicate the agencies that you have you ever prepared LEGISLATIVE INQUIRY for:

Traffic Records Coordinating Committee

Department of Public Health Injury Surveillance

Strategic Highway Safety Plan

NHTSA Regional Office

State Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program

The focus group session will continue with the line of questioning regarding these results. The facilitator will continue with the line of questioning.

• share with us a little more, we’d be interested in knowing how useful these products were to the organizations that requested them. For example did they like it, do you know how else they used what you provided and have they requested it on a reoccurring basis?

(Show slide 10-Attachment F)

This slide shows the ways in which states have reported using their linked data.

• Were these linked data used as much as you would have liked for them to have been used? If not, why not?

• How have you promoted the use of your linked data with other potential partners?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

(Show slide 11-Attachment F)

This slide shows the proficiency in linking and analyzing data using various software packages that the states reported.

• How were these software packages used in linkage and analysis?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• We’d like to know what is needed to make staff proficient at linkage and analysis.

• What types of experience do you think are needed for an individual to be proficient in linking the data (for example work or training experiences that might contribute)

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• What types of experience do you think are needed for an individual to be proficient using the linked data for data analysis (again reflecting on work or training experiences)

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

(show slide 12-Attachment F)

Slide 12 shows the areas of training and technical assistance that states reported receiving.

• If you had training or technical assistance support what aspects did you find were of particular benefit in supporting your linkage or analysis efforts?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• Thinking back over the training and technical assistance support you have received what do you think could have been improved?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

Another aspect of linkage systems is obtaining the source data to be used in linkages. We’d like to discuss how that process worked in your state.

(show slide 13-Attachment F)

This slide graphically shows the lag times for receiving the top three sources of data – crash, inpatient hospital, emergency department.

• Did you have barriers obtaining source data in your state? If so describe some of the barriers in obtaining

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

*Probe more if this is not shared to examine potential responses:

What barriers did you encounter due to data confidentiality or data release policies?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

Finally we’d like to finish with a discussion of overall challenges and successes in conducting linkage

(show slide 14-Attachment F)

This slide shows some of the challenges with linkage identified in the assessment,

• Please share more about these challenges and

• Are there any other challenges that we may not have discussed that you think we should know about?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

(show slide 15-Attachment F)

This slide shows some of the challenges with analysis identified in the assessment.

• Please share more about these challenges and

• Are there any other challenges that we may not have discussed that you think we should know about?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• For this next question we would like learn how you have managed questions about the linkage process and data outputs that come from customers who have requested the data. Could you share specific experiences and how you responded?

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• Have you found any unexpected benefits from working with the linkage project in your state?

Probe further to explore: data quality, additional variables that could be added, feedback to law enforcement for additional training, enhancing other reporting forms to connect the data more easily

Discussion of question along with probes from the facilitator.

• Does anyone have anything else that they would like to say on any areas that we’ve covered or any new areas?

Thank you for participating in this focus group.

10