[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 218 (Friday, November 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67380-67381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27445]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request: Ethical Dilemmas in 
Surgery and Utilization of Hospital Ethics Consultation Service: A 
Survey

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the Clinical Center Department of Bioethics, the 
National Institutes of Health has submitted to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the information 
collection listed below. This proposed information collection was 
previously published in the Federal Register on November 28, 2011 on 
page 72955-72956 [FR DOC  2011-30548] and allowed 60-days for 
public comment. Two comments were received by the NIH Department of 
Bioethics. The comments we received included one request from a survey 
firm that was interested in possibly administering the survey, and one

[[Page 67381]]

request from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) that 
was interested in knowing what items were in the survey instrument. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public 
comment. The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, 
and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information 
collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after 
October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control 
number.
    Proposed Collection: Title: Ethical Dilemmas in Surgery and 
Utilization of Hospital Ethics Consultation Service: A Survey. Type of 
Information Collection Request: NEW. Need and Use of Information 
Collection: This survey is intended to collect information about the 
ethical dilemmas that surgeons have faced in their practices over the 
past year, and assess their experiences, if any, with their hospital 
consultation services. Specifically, the information gathered in this 
study will be valuable in understanding the ethical dilemmas that 
surgeons face, the utility of institution ethics consultations services 
for surgeons, and to identify what barriers, if any, discourage 
surgeons from utilizing these services. The results of this study can 
be used by medical professionals, hospitals, and bioethicists in 
several important ways. First, they will provide a better understanding 
the ethical dilemmas that surgeons face in their practices. Second, 
they will provide understanding of factors that determine the current 
utilization of hospital consultation services by surgeons. Third, 
information collected on the barriers to surgeons' use of ethics 
consultation services will provide better insight into the perspective 
and culture of surgery as it relates to ethical dilemmas in their 
practices and how ethics consultation services could better support 
surgeons when faced with these dilemmas. Frequency of Response: Once. 
Affected Public: Individuals; Businesses or other for-profit. Type of 
Respondents: Individuals.
    The annual reporting burden is as follows:

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                                                                     Estimated        Average        Estimated
                                                     Estimated       number of      burden per     total annual
               Type of respondents                   number of     responses per   response  (in   burden hours
                                                    respondents     respondent        hours)         requested
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Surgeons........................................             598               1           15/60             150
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................             598  ..............  ..............             150
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    There are no capital, operating, or maintenance costs to report.
    Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies are invited on one or more of the 
following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) The 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on those who are to 
respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions 
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be 
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-6974, 
Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
instruments, contact: Marion Danis, MD, Department of Clinical 
Bioethics, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 1C118, 
Bethesda, MD 20892-1156; Telephone: 301-435-8727; Facsimile: 301-496-
0760; Email: [email protected].
    Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30-days 
of the date of this publication.

    Dated: August 28, 2012.
Laura Lee,
Project Clearance Liason, CC, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2012-27445 Filed 11-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P