Focus Group Interview Guide

Form Approved

OMB Control No. 0920-1050

Exp. Date: 06/30/2025

ATTACHMENT 2

Private Sector Focus Group Respondent: Interview Guide

Personal Interview: Interview Guide

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview about CDC’s U.S. Cancer Statistics Research public use databases. My name is [evaluator name] and I am assisted by [assistant name]. We work with Veritas Management Group and are conducting this interview on behalf of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

The purpose of this evaluation project is to obtain user’s opinions and insights on ways to improve the SEER*Stat databases and technical documentation. Your feedback will help guide CDC’s future development plans. We welcome your honest feedback.

Your participation is completely voluntary, and you may choose not to answer any question or end the call at any time.

The interview will take approximately one hour, and you may ask questions at any time.

With your permission, we will be recording this interview. This recording will be used internally to create project reports. Your name and image will not be used in any project report. None of the statements you make will be linked to you by name. If you do not wish to be recorded, we can end this call.

Any questions?

We’re going to start the recording now and begin our conversation.

1. Please tell us how you’ve used the U.S. Cancer Statistics public use databases to inform your research.

   1. Probe: Have you created any reports or published manuscripts using the databases?

2. How long have you had access to the public use databases?

3. How did you first learn about the U.S. Cancer Statistics public use databases?

4. Were there any features that lead you to get access to the databases?

5. Have you used the public use databases’ online documentation? (interviewer will display the databases website – www.cdc.gov/cancer/public-use) [If yes:]

   1. What parts of the documentation have been useful?

      1. Probe (interviewer will display the webpages): Did you use the Cautionary Notes page? Sample Text for Manuscripts page? Variable Definitions pages?

   2. Were any parts hard to understand?

      1. If yes: Do you recall what was hard to understand or how it could be improved?

6. What do you think could make the documentation more helpful?

7. What types of software do you use for statistical analyses?

8. Prior to using the databases, had you ever used SEER*Stat software before?

   1. If no: how helpful was the documentation in guiding you through using the software?

9. What challenges, if any, did you have in getting access to the databases?

10. Did you ever reach out to anyone for technical assistance?

1. If yes: Did you reach out to IMS’s support team or CDC’s U.S. Cancer Statistics team? Was the response timely? Useful?

2. If no: Did you know who to contact if you needed help?

11. Is there anything we didn’t cover that you think could make the databases more useful or usable?

Thank you for your participation today! Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Please feel free to contact me if you have additional ideas for improvements that we have not discussed today. My email address is listed on the screen.

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 60 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 H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-1050).