Fast Track Memo

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0915-0212)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: HRSA Division of Transplantation (DoT) Formative Evaluation Minority Organ Donation Outreach (Online Focus Groups)

PURPOSE: DoT is requesting fast-track Generic Clearance to conduct nine virtual (online) focus groups. OMB previously approved this research initiative in September 2020. Because the original approval expired on July 3, 2021, without the research taking place due to funding constraints, we are resubmitting this request.

Improving agency programs requires ongoing assessment of service delivery, meaning a systematic review of the operation of a program compared to a set of explicit or implicit standards, as a means of contributing to the continuous improvement of the program. As a vital part of its ongoing mission, DoT produces educational and outreach materials on organ donation and transplantation for numerous audiences. This includes outreach materials intended for minority audiences (inclusive of adults who are Black; Hispanic/Latino; Asian, Native Hawaiians, or other Pacific Islanders; and American Indians/Alaska Natives). Reaching these target audiences is particularly important due to health disparities faced by these populations which increase the risk of organ failure, the prevalence of kidney disease (that may one day require a life-saving organ transplant), and over-representation on the national transplant waiting list among these target audiences.

DoT is seeking feedback on three campaign concepts specifically designed to resonate with minority audiences, garner support for organ donation, and motivate people to register as organ donors. Responses will be used to shape and inform the concept that is developed for DoT’s future outreach campaign and determine the dissemination channels used to reach these target audiences.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: The nine focus groups (outlined below) will consist of six individuals per group (54 total) and will be facilitated by a professional moderator. Collection will be targeted to the opinions of consumers who support organ donation but are not registered organ donors. DoT is targeting the following audiences for this collection:

• Black adults 18+: three groups

• Hispanic/Latino adults 18+: three groups (two groups conducted in Spanish and one group in English)

• Asian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islanders adults 18+: one group

• American Indian/Alaska Native adults 18+: one group

• Adults who are non-white, mixed-race 18+: one group

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[X] Focus Group [ ] Other:

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Frank Holloman

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

2. If yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

3. If yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

PII collection will be limited to information required to provide an incentive to respondents. Name and address information will be held by a third-party recruiting vendor and will not be provided to HRSA or its contractor.

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ X ] Yes [] No

Research participants are recruited via panels, and it has become customary and expected that panel members are offered incentives to participate in research. In our experience, in order to achieve a representative sample of required participants in a timely and cost-effective manner, projects must provide incentives at levels that attract, retain, and adequately compensate respondents for their time and effort. Incentives are viewed as an important tool in the successful completion of research studies, especially among audiences who are harder to reach and engage in research (Abdelazeem et al., 2022; Yancey et al., 2006). Abdelazeem et al. also note that economic and time restraints are significant barriers to focus group participation among minority groups, and monetary incentives can reduce the impact of these barriers. We will provide a stipend of $100 each for participants in the online focus groups to enhance the quality and efficiency of research, including reducing non-response bias, improving participation by those in hard-to-reach groups, and increasing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the research (e.g., Singer & Ye, 2013; Stewart & Shamdasani, 2015). We believe this is a reasonable rate of compensation and is at the lower end of incentive rates suggested in recent academic guidance for similar qualitative consumer research (Stewart & Shamdasani, 2015).

We also considered the use of non-monetary incentives, however, the participants necessary for this study are less likely to engage without a substantial monetary incentive (Abdelazeem et al., 2022; Yancey et al., 2006). Our recruiting partners provide compensation to respondents in multiple ways, but typically respondents are given the option to receive a debit card or a gift card in the stated amount for their participation.

References

Abdelazeem B, Abbas KS, Amin MA, El-Shahat NA, Malik B, Kalantary A, et al. (2022) The effectiveness of incentives for research participation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS ONE 17(4): e0267534.

Singer E and Ye C (2013). The use and effects of incentives in surveys. Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci, 645(1): 112-141.

Stewart DW and Shamdasani PN (2015). Focus Groups: Theory & Practice, 3rd Edition. Los Angeles: Sage.

Yancey AK, Ortega AN, and Kumanyika SK (2006). Effective recruitment and retention of minority research participants. Ann Rev Public Health, 27, 1-28.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours Total
Focus Group Participants	54	1.75	94.5 hours
Totals	54	1.75	94.5 hours

FEDERAL COST:

The estimated annual cost to the federal government is approximately $43,149, which includes $39,215 for recruitment, with incentives paid by the contractor, facility, and moderator costs and $4,124.28 in project management and oversight [2% from GS12 ($94,199) and 2% from GS13 ($112,015)].

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan). If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them.

Focus group participants will be recruited by a professional market researcher vendor who maintains a database of individuals who are willing to participate in market research projects, using the participant screener document: Screening Questions, to identify participants. Contact information for all participants is maintained by our vendor, and is not collected solely for this project nor is it accessible to the government.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ X ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.