App K pre-cog letter

Appendix K

Pre-interview letter to

potential cognitive interview participants

U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

BETHESDA, MD 20814

November 10, 2010

«Title». «FirstName» «LastName»

«Address1»

«Address2»

«City», «State» «PostalCode» Re: «Taskno»

Dear «Title». «LastName»:

All visits to the Emergency Room (ER) at «HospName» are reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) are using these reports for a research study to tell us if people report work-related injuries or illnesses. The study also looks at long-term health problems related to work among people who go to the ER. We are writing you because we need your help in testing our questionnaire. We want you to tell us if we are asking the questions in a way that most people can understand and if we need to change the question wording.

CPSC records show that you were treated on <<Treatment date>> in the <<HospName>> Emergency Room (ER). We would like to talk to you about how you answer the questions in the questionnaire as they relate to your ER visit. All interviews will be done by phone. Someone from RTI may call you. This person will ask you about your ER visit and the treatment you received. You will also be asked about long-term health problems that may be related to work. For many questions, you will be asked about how you decide on your answer. If you agree to take part in this phone interview, it should take about two hours. When you finish, we will mail you $40 for your time.

Your answers will help us create a better questionnaire. However, your decision to take part in this study is voluntary. If you do decide to take part, you may decide to end the study at any time without penalty.

If you do not want to be in this study, call CPSC at (800) 638-8095, extension 7431, and leave a message within 10 days of receiving this letter. Please leave your name and the project number that is at the top of this letter.

The CDC and RTI staff working on this study will get your name and number from CPSC. Your name and number will only be used to get in touch with you for this study. Your name and number will be deleted when the interview is completed, or you refuse to participate, or if you cannot be reached within 30 days. Your answers to the questions will be a part of the CDC Privacy Act System. Your answers or other facts that might point to you indirectly will not be reported or published. All answers will be kept private to the extent allowed by law. Your answers may be given to contractors working with us on this study or other researchers who plan to perform further studies.

A loss of privacy that may lead to mental grief is the only known danger to taking part in this study. Physical injury or harm is not likely. If you are injured, medical care will not be provided. If you are injured because of any actions of an interviewer contracted by CPSC, you could file a claim against the contractor. If you are injured because you took part in this study, call Claire Dye, the CDC project contact at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), at (304) 285-5851. You may also call Cheryl Estill, Chair of the CDC/NIOSH Human Subjects Research Board, at (513) 533-8591.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 authorizes the collection of data for this study. If you have questions about this study, call Claire Dye, the CDC/NIOSH project contact, at (304) 285-5851. If you have questions about your rights as a part of this study, call Cheryl Estill, Chair of the CDC/NIOSH Human Subjects Research Board, at (513) 533-8591.

Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

Tom Schroeder

Statistician, Division Director

Division of Hazard and Injury Data Systems

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Flesch-Kincaid grade level: 8.4