NCIRD Influenza Surveillance Interview Protocol Guide an

Form approved

OMB # 0920-1158

Exp. date 01/31/2020

CDC I-Catalyst Program Project

NCIRD Influenza Surveillance Interview Protocol Guide and Questions

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 30 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 (0920-1158).

Background Information: Influenza has a substantial impact in the United States each year, with 5-20% of the population getting sick with the flu in any given season, resulting in hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. Influenza-related activities take up a substantial amount of effort by state and local health departments every year to monitor the flu season, investigate and control outbreaks, and communicate with local government, the public, and the media. The Epidemiology and Prevention Branch team in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) wants to explore whether local and state departments may be interested in adapting methods used for Influenza surveillance and communication at the national level to their work. The team is interested in exploring whether simple web tool or stand-alone tools would allow an epidemiologist or surveillance officer at the state or local level to input data from their own jurisdiction to make local influenza burden and severity estimates that are consistent with the approach used and communicated on a national level by CDC. The target audience is epidemiologists and surveillance officers in state and local health departments who analyze or synthesize influenza surveillance data and receive questions every year about the burden and severity of the influenza season in their jurisdiction.

Interviewer to Respondent: Hi, my name is ...Thank you for your time. I know you are busy, I only need about 30 minutes of your time. I’m from CDC working on a project involving Influenza burden and severity, and want to ask some questions to learn more about your role in your department’s influenza planning and management activities. Thank you for participating in this data collection effort. We will use the opinions and impressions you provide only for analyzing the general trends and directions of strategic planning, implementation, collaboration and partnership development within your respective region and across regions. You will not be identified in any published reporting. Individual respondents will not be identified in reports except with their express permission.

I understand you have a role as a flu coordinator. Can you describe your actual role and job functions?

1. Tell us about what you do in preparation for the flu season. (walk us through your activities as a flu surveillance coordinator)

2. What questions do you get about the upcoming flu season?

3. What are your top concerns about your ability to respond in a pandemic?

4. What data do you rely on to make judgments about flu season?

5. What data do you rely on to contextualize your state’s flu season?

6. Tell us about what you do after the flu season has concluded.

7. What questions do you get about the past flu season?

8. What are your biggest challenges when talking or responding to questions about the past flu season?

9. What are your biggest challenges with communicating about future flu seasons?

10. As part of your role, how do you make decisions to ensure business continuity? What kind of decisions do you make? Is staffing/protecting staff part of the strategy?

11. When you provide context on the severity of a flu season? What data do you provide?

12. Do you compare what is happening in your states to other states around you? If so, how?

Thank you for your time.