18th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 3-5, 2019 • Chicago, IL
EI Enrollment in Children with Hearing Loss: The Impact of Service Delivery Model
The Joint Commission on Infant Hearing (JCIH) guideline recommends children with permanent hearing loss be enrolled in early intervention (EI) services by six months (JCIH, 2007). Nationally, EI enrollment has increased from 44.9% in 2006 to 67.2% in 2016 (CDC, 2008; CDC, 2018). JCIH (2013) recommends a service delivery model using a service coordinator with special knowledge and skills about individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). Despite this recommendation, many EHDI programs use a primary service coordinator who has limited or no background knowledge of hearing loss and its impact on development.
The purpose of this Quality Improvement (QI) study is to evaluate the influence of service delivery model on EI enrollment in a multidisciplinary program in a large tertiary pediatric hospital. In our state, the service delivery model for EI enrollment changed from using regional service coordinators with specialized D/HH knowledge and skills to a model using a centralized system with service coordinators who have limited or no knowledge of working with children who are D/HH. For each child provided services through our program between 2015 and 2018, the following hearing demographics were collected: date of identification, laterality and degree of hearing loss, hearing devices used, and any comorbid diagnoses. Concurrently, EI demographics about the number of referrals to EI, enrollment in EI (if applicable), quantity EI provided, whether a specialized provider was a part of the team, and whether goals for communication were included on individual family service plans (IFSP) for the same cohort of children was recorded. EI demographics for children identified during the regional/specialized service coordinator program (2015 through September 2016) are compared with those identified during the centralized/non-specialized service coordinator program (October 2016 to 2018). QI interventions implemented to facilitate EI enrollment will be discussed.
- Attendees will be able to distinguish between different early intervention service delivery models employed in early hearing detection and intervention programs.
- Attendees will be able to evaluate whether service delivery model affects enrollment into early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Attendees will be able to review what role members of a medical model can play in supporting the referral process of families to EI.
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Presenter: Ursula Findlen
Ursula M. Findlen, Ph.D., is the Director of Audiology Research in the Division of Clinical Therapies- Audiology Department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor-Clinical at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Findlen engages in clinical practice and research endeavors related to pediatric (re)habilitative audiology, particularly in regards to a multidisciplinary team approach to family-centered care. Her research interests include infant diagnostics and improving outcomes of children with hearing loss through systematic quality improvement and population health endeavors.
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No relevant financial relationship exist.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Gina Hounam is the program manager of Audiology at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Gina received a B.A. in Speech and Hearing Science at Ohio State University and received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati. Gina has been an audiologist for 15+ years and her professional interests include relationship-centered care, community outreach, UNHS and hearing aids.
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Riley Bayer is a licensed Audiology Aide at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She received a bachelor of arts degree in speech and hearing science from The Ohio State University in 2015.
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Tabbetha Greco is an educator and researcher at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her career focuses on early intervention, play based curriculum, and educational administration. She currently is working on a publication, unpacking the relationships of school and hospital for chronically ill students.
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Kaleigh Matesick is an Early Intervention Specialist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She has been working in the field of Early Childhood Education for 10 years, with a focus primarily on social and emotional development of young children. Kaleigh obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development & Family Sciences, and a Master’s degree in Early and Middle Childhood Education, both from The Ohio State University. Kaleigh is also credentialed as an Early Childhood Mental Health consultant in the state of Ohio.
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Prashant Solanki Malhotra, MD, FAAP, is a member of the Department of Otolaryngology and the Hearing Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Malhotra received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, in 2004. He completed an internship in General Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and completed his residency in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. He spent an additional year as a fellow and clinical instructor of Pediatric Otolaryngology at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford University. Dr. Malhotra’s clinical and research interests primarily focus on problems relating to pediatric hearing loss and cochlear implantation, pediatric head and neck masses including malignancies, and all other aspects of pediatric otolaryngology and facial reconstructive surgery.
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