GenIC Request

Request for genIC Approval

CDC/ATSDR Formative Research and Tool Development

0920-1154

CIO: Office of Readiness and Response (ORR)

PROJECT TITLE: Evaluation on Impact and Effectiveness of This is a Tabletop Exercise Simulation Tool (TEST)

PURPOSE AND USE OF COLLECTION:

The purpose of this information collection is to evaluate a new technical assistance tool, “This is a TEST- a Tabletop Exercise Simulation Tool” (TEST), developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine how this product benefits state and local emergency planning partners and if there are other ways in which the product can be leveraged and improved to further enhance state and local preparedness. TEST a collaborative game that bridges the gap between discussion and operational exercises using narrative-based problems to foster teamwork, discuss resource management, and aid in understanding specific roles and responsibilities during a public health emergency. Two editions of TEST were released in March 2024 for general use, TEST CRC (Community Reception Centers) and TEST POD (Points of Dispensing). One edition, TEST ICS (Incident Command System), is currently in the final development stage and being piloted by CDC with jurisdictions to finalize the basic game objectives to align with the current technical assistance and emergency preparedness exercise needs.

Links for overview video for TEST:

This is a TEST CRC_Playthrough - YouTube

This is a TEST CRC Playthrough - Audio Description - YouTube

The purpose of this tool is to provide participants with pressures and situations that likely will arise in a real emergency, highlighting the need to work together to respond to public health emergencies. To determine if the goal of the tool has been met, it is key to perform evaluation and assessment of the tool and its implementation. Information collected will be used to evaluate tool effectiveness in achieving intended outcomes, identify options for future implementation of TEST which best promote emergency preparedness planning and coordination with cross sector personnel to enhance PHEP capabilities, and identify areas for improvement of development and implementation of TEST

Jurisdictions will be volunteering to use TEST as an exercise or training tool. Potential respondents will be selected from those who participate in these exercises so that they can provide feedback on the tool. On the initial survey immediately following exercise participation, participants will be asked if they would like to participant in further focus group discussions. Participants for focus groups will be selected from those that provide voluntary consent. Participation in the initial survey will be voluntary and open to all participants in the exercise. A QR code for the survey link will be made available during and after the exercise. A short follow-up survey will be sent to participants from the jurisdiction exercise coordinator who will have collected contact information for all participants which is standard for exercise requirement fulfillment. Participant responses to the survey will be voluntary. will be sent through the.

The purpose of this project is to evaluate all the TEST editions to determine the effectiveness of this tool and how it impacts/improves emergency preparedness and public health capacity. The evaluation will also analyze how TEST improves learning outcomes from exercise participants through measuring retention levels. Findings from this evaluation may inform a new training and exercise framework for CDC and improved emergency response workforce capacity.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Respondents will be those who participate in exercises and trainings using TEST and will primarily include state and local public health officials and partners who support public health preparedness and response implementing community reception centers, points of dispensing and incident command systems, including emergency management officials, fire/police/hazmat teams, radiation control officials, hospital representatives, volunteer organizations and communication or public information representatives.

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. Information gathered will not be used to substantially inform influential policy decisions.

5. The study is not intended to produce results that can be generalized beyond its scope.

Name: _Kristin Delea_____

To assist review, please answer the following questions:

Personally Identifiable Information:

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

ORR/NCEH will only collect name and professional email of participants who volunteer to be contacted for focus group discussions. Records will not be saved using PII. Only name and professional email are optionally provided, and this data will be removed from final data storage and analysis.)

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

ORR/NCEH will not retrieve data for analysis by participant PII (Name/email address). We will not record PII in final data analysis or storage.

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ x ] No

SORN is not applicable.

Gifts or Payments:

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

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	Form Name	No. of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Participation Time (minutes)	Burden in Hours
Public Health response official	Initial Feedback Survey	1300	1	15	325
Public Health response official	Follow up Survey (2 and 4 months)	1000	2	15	500
Public Health response official	Focus Group Discussion	50	1	60	50
Totals					875 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $8,640 based on 150 hours of FTE time. The hourly wage for a GS-13 employee is $57.60.

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?

CDC is currently offering TEST to jurisdictions receiving Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement funds as a tool to help design exercises for their public health preparation efforts. Any jurisdiction can access TEST tools (including game pieces, instruction manuals/user guides) from the CDC website. CDC is working with jurisdictions who request support to use TEST for their exercise design and implementation and will work with up to 25 jurisdictions to implement the tool. If more than 25 sites, request support they will still have access to the exercise materials, and we will use a previously approved generic training survey to collect information.

Additionally, the tool will be used at up to 3 conferences with each conference estimate to have up to 150 participants. Participation will be open to conference attendees.

Potential respondents will be selected from those who participate in these exercises so that they can provide feedback on the tool. Participation in the initial survey will be voluntary and open to all participants in the exercise. A QR code for the survey link will be made available during and after the exercise. A short follow-up survey will be sent to participants from the jurisdiction exercise coordinator who will have collected contact information for all participants which is standard for exercise requirement fulfillment. Participant responses to the survey will be voluntary. On the initial survey immediately following exercise participation, participants will be asked if they would like to participant in further focus group discussions. Participants for focus groups will be selected from those that provide voluntary consent.

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

[x ] Other, Explain – Zoom or Teams

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

Facilitators will be used for Focus groups only.

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

List of Attachments

Attachment A – Immediate Post Exercise Survey Questions

Attachment B – Follow-Up Survey Questions

Attachment C – Focus Group Script

Attachment D – ORR Research Determination Form

Attachment 1 – TEST CRC edition._Gameboard

Attachment 1a – TEST CRC_Game instructions

Attachment 2 – TEST POD edition_Gameboard

Attachment 2a – TEST POD edition_Game instructions

Attachment 3 – TEST ICS edition_draft Gameboard

Attachment 3a – TEST ICS edition_draft instructions

Instructions for completing genIC Request for Approval for

CDC/ATSDR Formative Research and Tool Development

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is requested.

PURPOSE and USE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Briefly describe the targeted group/groups for this collection.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected.

Form: Provide the title of the information collection form.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group).

Burden in Minutes: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Estimate the annual cost to the Federal government for this collection.

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. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

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