The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #60490

Pamela Costa, MA, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, MS-F35, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-498-3027, PCosta@cdc.gov

Objective: Currently, nearly 70% of all U.S. births are screened for hearing loss. However, screening is only the first step in the early hearing detection and intervention process. Over 40% of infants who do not pass their screening do not complete one or more of the remaining steps of rescreening, audiologic/medical evaluation, and early intervention. Without appropriate follow-up, the value of newborn screening can not be realized. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an internal competitive funding mechanism which supports program evaluation. In FY 2002, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities applied for and received funding under this mechanism to: 1) investigate reasons for loss to follow-up in state EHDI programs, and 2) develop innovative strategies to reduce the loss. Subsequently, the CDC EHDI program partnered with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), who matched the funds to expand the focus of the original project. In August 2002, Research Triangle Institute was awarded the contract to conduct the evaluation in five states: Arkansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah, and Virginia. The project will use a variety of survey tools to determine both barriers and facilitators for completing the EHDI process, including parental knowledge, linkage to a medical home, family-to-family support, cultural competency, and the follow-up process. Once this is understood, strategies to reduce the loss to follow-up will be developed. This information should be adaptable for use in all state EHDI programs. Results: During FY 2003, the contractor will conduct the in-depth and focus groups in the five states. Results of these investigations will be used to develop the maternal interview survey instruments which will be conducted in FY 2004. Conclusions: Early hearing detection and intervention is a national initiative among state and federal agencies, professional organizations, and the public. This inter-agency investigation will provide valuable information needed to successfully meet the Healthy 2010 objectives related to newborn hearing: screening by 1 month, evaluation by 3 months, and intervention by 6 months of age.

Learning Objectives:

After this session, the participant will be able to:
• Describe the issues and importance of loss-to-follow-up in early hearing detection and intervention programs
• Describe the federal-state inter-agency response to investigate reasons for loss-to-follow-up
• Describe anticipated outcomes of the project, and how they will impact state-federal activities

Keywords: Infant Health, Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.