16th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
February 26-28, 2017 • Atlanta, GA
| The Effect on Loss To Follow Up When Babies are Scheduled for Out-Patient Follow Up Appointments Prior to Hospital Discharge
The Effect on Loss To Follow Up When Babies are Scheduled for Out-Patient Follow Up Appointments Prior to Hospital Discharge
Hearing loss (HL) is one of the most common congenital conditions, affecting1-3 infants per 1000. Early identification of hearing loss is now recognized as critical for babies to be on the path to language and literacy. Research has shown children who were diagnosed with HL and received appropriate intervention before 6 months of age demonstrated significantly better language and reading comprehension than children identified after 6 months. Without appropriate opportunities to learn language, children with HL will fall behind their hearing peers in communication, cognition, reading, and social-emotional development. Because of the prevalence of congenital HL, combined with the urgency of early identification, universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) programs have been implemented across the US. These programs, along with early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) goals, have dramatically increased the number of infants screened at birth. While it is tremendous progress that more than 97% of newborns receive the recommended hearing screen after birth, as many as half of babies that do not pass the initial screen actually return for follow-up care and the remainder are lost to the EHDI system. “Loss to Follow-Up” (LTF) refers to infants that do not pass the initial screen, and fail to return for follow-up, either an out-patient rescreen or comprehensive audiologic evaluation.
In order to improve timeliness of hearing loss diagnosis, and ultimately increase the effectiveness of UNHS programs, LTF rate must be significantly reduced. One recommendation, which will be evaluated here, concerns when the actual follow-up appointment date and time is given to the family of the referred baby. In this study, we compared the LTF rate for those with appointments scheduled prior to discharge versus those who leave the hospital without an appointment. Results discussed will evaluate the effective of LTF rates when parents receive follow-up appointment information prior to hospital discharge.
- Evaluate whether timeliness of follow-up appointment information has an effect on Loss to Follow-Up Rate.
- Identify the possible effect of LTF for babies discharged without an out-patient follow up appointment scheduled and provided to parents.
- Study the timeliness of outpatient follow up appointments being completed by parents and providers, in order to meet the 3 in 1-3-6.
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Presenters/Authors
Amanda Simpson
(), Pediatrix , Amanda_Simpson@mednax.com;
Amanda Simpson, Au.D., CCC-A graduated from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans with her doctorate degree in audiology. Prior to that, she studied Communication Disorders at LSU main campus, where she discovered how rewarding it is to increase others’ quality of life through better hearing and communication. Amanda has worked for the Veterans Administration (VA) Audiology Clinic, and also dabbled in private practice before joining the Peloton team in January 2015. She currently works as an Area Supervisor for Peloton, supervising newborn hearing screening programs in Louisiana. During her free time, Dr. Simpson enjoys watching football, especially her Tigers and Saints, and loves spending time with her dog, Levee!
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Receives Salary for Employment,Management position from Natus Medical.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Melissa Richardson
(), Natus/Peloton Screening Services, Melissa.Richardson@natus.com;
Melissa Richardson, M.S., CCC-A has over 30 years’ experience in many areas of audiology; including newborn hearing screening via OAE, ABR, and AABR, pediatric diagnostics, hearing aid fitting and maintenance, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program, ECHO/Early Head Start, and public school audiology. Melissa also has experience in industrial OSHA screening and military hearing assessment as well as supervision of post graduate on and off campus practicums. She has participated in mission programs for hearing aid assessment/fitting and hopes to do so again.
She received her BS in Communicative Disorders from the University of Mississippi in 1981 and MS in Audiology from the University of Montevallo in 1985. Melissa is a long standing member of ASHA and the Alabama Board of Speech, Language, and Audiology Association.
Melissa resides in Birmingham, Alabama and enjoys reading and any outdoor activity.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Receives Salary for Employment from employee of Natus Medical Inc..
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.