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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Melanie Besculides, DrPH and Shanna Shulman, PhD. Mathematica Policy Research, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, New Jersey, NJ 08543, 609-799-3535, sshulman@mathematica-mpr.com

The Maternal and Child Health Bureau provides funding to Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention (UNHSI) programs across the country and territories to ensure that: (1) all newborns are screened for hearing loss before hospital discharge, (2) those who do not pass the screening receive an audiologic diagnosis within 3 months, (3) infants with hearing loss are enrolled in early intervention programs within six months, and (4) infants with hearing loss have a medical home and family-to-family support. Although the majority of infants born in the United States are screened for hearing deficits before they leave the hospital, it is estimated that 30 to 50 percent of those identified as having hearing loss are not evaluated for the nature and extent of the loss or enrolled in early intervention programs. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. conducted a survey of all UNHSI coordinators (n=55) to: (1) learn how programs are structured, staffed, and the processes used to screen infants, report results, and follow-up with those who do not pass the screening and (2) to identify barriers to follow-up and how programs have worked to reduce these barriers. We supplemented these data with information gathered during in-depth site visits to eight state programs involving interviews with program staff, hospital coordinators, audiologists, and PCPs. Our results suggest successful models of program organization, screening, and reporting relevant to population-based screening programs. We also discuss the influence of factors such as state screening mandates, screening and diagnosis infrastructure, and interagency coordination in addressing barriers to follow-up.

Learning Objectives: