2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

333985
Supporting decision making to increase engagement with early hearing detection and intervention efforts


Sunday, November 1, 2015

Andrew Scott LaJoie, PhD, MSPH, Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, Louisville, KY
Susan Buchino, PhD(c), MS, OTR/L, Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, Louisville, KY
Maria Sentelik, MS, Ohio Valley Voices, Loveland, OH
Beth Popich, M.Ed, Independent Consultant, Loveland, OH
Reena Kothari, Au.D, F-AAA, Bureau of Health Services Infant Hearing Program-EHDI, The Ohio Department of Health, Columbus, OH
Universal newborn hearing screening mandates babies born in US hospitals undergo hearing screening. Consistent with Healthy People 2020, the goal of early hearing diagnosis and intervention is to prevent disruptions in language and psychosocial development. Hearing screening programs detect potential hearing loss in ~10% of newborns and result in referrals for diagnosis. Of babies who fail the screening, ~15% will have permanent hearing loss (PHL). Four in 10 babies who fail the screening are lost to follow-up (LTF). Babies who are LTF and go undiagnosed suffer disruptions in language and psychosocial development. This study applied community-based research methods to develop a decision support tool to reduce LTF rates by promoting informed decision-making.     

A focus group of mothers of children with PHL identified barriers to follow-up. Stakeholders, who included audiologists, educators, parent representatives, and public health professionals, informed the development of the decision support tool. We evaluated the tool in accordance with the International Patient Decision Aid Standards. A convenient sample of women and parents of newborns at an Ohio birthing hospital tested the tool.    

The decision support tool presents risks and benefits associated with obtaining early diagnosis or delaying diagnostic confirmation. Stakeholder input significantly shaped the final product by addressing the identified barriers to follow-up and concerns of both professionals and parents. A “virtual” parent partner was added to guide users through the tool.

Stakeholder engagement helped produce a decision support tool that will aid professional communication with families as they make informed decisions following a failed newborn hearing screening.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the development, implementation and evaluation of a decision support tool created to help mothers adhere to recommendations following a non-passed newborn hearing screening.

Keyword(s): Decision-Making, Perinatal Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the co-principal investigator on several federal or state funded grants focusing on health-related decision making. Among my scientific interests has been the development of decision aids and other tools that facilitate shared decision making.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2039.0: Infant & Child Health Poster Session