2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
3/14/2022 | 12:00 PM - 12:25 PM | Factors influencing Pandemic-Era EHDI Utilization and Access | Room 9
Factors influencing Pandemic-Era EHDI Utilization and Access
Introduction/Objective: Timely and equitable identification of infant hearing loss is a priority of EHDI programs. The COVID-19 pandemic has ubiquitously worsened healthcare disparities, yet the pandemic impact on EHDI programs is unknown. The purpose of this research is to evaluate sociodemographic factors influencing adherence to EDHI diagnostic testing and the incidence of infant hearing loss during the pandemic.
Methods: We evaluated EHDI diagnostic testing adherence and the incidence of infant hearing loss through the Kentucky EHDI system. We evaluated these outcomes both before (April 1, 2019-February 28, 2020) and during (March 1, 2020 – September 30, 2020) the pandemic. Using univariate and multivariate analysis, we evaluated the association of these outcomes to sociodemographic variables including race, ethnicity, language, maternal education, location of residence, and insurance.
Results: There were 71,208 births and 1380 referred infant hearing screening tests in Kentucky during the study period. Infants during the pandemic had a 24.3% lower odds of hearing testing adherence (OR=0.757, p=0.05, 95%CI 0.57-1). Compared with non-Hispanic infants, Hispanic infants have 46% lower odds of EHDI adherence (OR=0.54, p=0.03, 95%CI: 0.31-0.95). Additionally, infants of Swahili speaking families have 87% lower odds of EHDI adherence (OR=0.13, p=0.005, 95%CI: 0.031-0.54).
Level of maternal education positively impacted EDHI utilization as infants of mothers with a high school degree or higher had 1.50 times higher odds of EHDI adherence (OR=1.50, p=0.02, 95%CI: 1.06-2.12), presented, on average, 9.5 days earlier for testing (p=0.003, 95%CI: -15.73- -3.32), and have a 1.63 times higher odds of having normal hearing on EHDI testing (OR=1.63, p=0.03, 95%CI: 1.06-2.51).
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted EHDI adherence. Underlying racial, ethnic, and linguistic factors influence adherence. Maternal education has a positive impact on EHDI-related outcomes. EHDI programs are encouraged to use this data to promote timely and equitable access and utilization of diagnostic services.
- Compare EHDI diagnostic testing adherence and the incidence of infant hearing loss before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Demonstrate the influence of racial, ethnic, and linguistic factors on diagnostic testing adherence.
- Identify sociodemographic factors that positively impact infant hearing outcomes.
Presentation:
3353554_14995NicolePerez.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Nicole Perez
(Primary Presenter,Co-Author), University of Kentucky College of Medicine, nspe224@uky.edu;
Nicole Perez is a second-year medical student at the University of Kentucky. She received a bachelor's degree from Florida International University. She is interested in Minority Health and Health Disparities.
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Marissa Schuh
(Co-Author), University of Kentucky Medical Center, Marissa.schuh@uky.edu;
Marissa Schuh is the Research Protocol Manager for the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Kentucky. She completed her Masters in Public Health and currently is a PhD candidate in Clinical Translational Science at the University of Kentucky. Marissa’s research interests include the social determinants of health and health disparities in rural populations. She currently oversees NIH-funded grants and other research initiatives within the Department.
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Matthew Bush
(Co-Author), University of Kentucky Medical Center, mlbush2@uky.edu;
Dr. Matthew L. Bush received his medical degree from the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in Huntington, W.Va. He then completed an Otolaryngology research fellowship and a Neurotology and Cranial Base Surgery fellowship at The Ohio State University Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital Research Institute in Columbus. Bush is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology both in Otolaryngology and in Neurotology and Cranial Base Surgery. Bush is actively engaged in clinical research with a special focus on hearing healthcare disparities. He has published multiple peer-reviewed papers on the topic and is supported by the National Institutes of Health. His research and clinical efforts are focused on providing timely access to care for children and adults.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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AAA DISCLOSURE:
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