HHS looks to survey docs about health privacy info needs

The Department of Health and Human Services wants to know what healthcare workers want to know about health information privacy.

In a notice published in the Federal Register, HHS asks for approval from the Office of Management and Budget to conduct surveys and focus-group interviews to determine healthcare workers' need for communication on health information technology- and privacy-related topics. Information gathered will be used "to assist in the development and modification of communication messages," according to the notice. Physicians and healthcare technicians, including nurses, are key players in the national push to adopt advanced health information technology, and HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology "must determine their informational needs and the most effective communication channels and formats for reaching them and educating them about the transition to an electronic records environment," the agency noted.

HHS will accept comments on the project for the next 30 days.