18th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 3-5, 2019 • Chicago, IL
Evaluation of Lost to Follow-Up/Documentation for Newborn Hearing Screenings
Since the release of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) Position Statement, the percentage of newborns being screened for hearing loss in the United States (U.S.) has increased from 38% in 2000 to 98% in 2016 (CDC, 2016). However, of the 98% of newborn infants screened in the U.S., about 25% of those who do not pass are not documented as having returned for the appropriate follow-up in order to (a) confirm the hearing loss, (b) be considered for hearing technology, or (c) receive additional intervention (CDC, 2016). These babies are referred as to "lost to follow-up,” and represent the population of interest for the present study.
In the state of Tennessee (TN), any provider performing initial hearing screening and follow-up tests must report all results to the Department of Health (DOH). On average, the TN DOH sends a notification to the original screening facility 6-8 weeks after birth for any infant who failed their initial screening, yet has not been documented as having received follow-up rescreening or a diagnostic evaluation. Attempts were made to follow up families of 1,109 babies for whom no follow-up results were available. Regarding this cohort, the research questions were:
1. How many infants had received follow up?
2. How many families had received follow up but the results were not reported to the state (lost to documentation)?
3. What were the most commonly identified barriers to follow-up for families?
Methods: From 2015 to 2018, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) graduate students have been trained by the audiology newborn hearing screening coordinator to contact families identified by the TN DOH as lost to follow up. Results of hearing screening and diagnostic data, in addition to specific reasons provided by families lost to follow up, were entered into a REDCap electronic data repository, in efforts to address the aforementioned research questions.
- Attendees will be able to differentiate between “lost to follow-up” (LTFU) and “lost to documentation” (LTD) classifications
- Attendees will be able to identify appropriate follow-up protocols for newborns who fail their initial hearing screening and require additional audiological testing
- Attendees will be able to list 3 of the most commonly reported barriers to follow-up for families of infants who failed their newborn hearing screening
Poster:
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Presenter: Emily Thompson
Emily Thompson is currently a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Vanderbilt University's Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, who pursued a specialty concentration in early identification and management of children with hearing loss while earning her Au.D. (May 2019 VUSM program graduate). Dr. Thompson previously graduated from the University of Connecticut (Honors Program) with a B.A. in Psychology and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. In addition to serving as a LEND Program trainee, she recently completed an NIH-funded T35 Research Traineeship with Vanderbilt faculty mentor Dr. Anne Marie Tharpe. Dr. Thompson’s primary research interests encompass pediatric amplification and aural rehabilitation, with a clinical focus on exploring communication/psychosocial impacts of childhood hearing loss. She has spent over two years conducting newborn hearing screenings as a student technician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and has also participated in multiple different pediatric audiology research projects from August 2015 onward.
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No relevant financial relationship exist.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Dr. Tharpe is Professor and Chair, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville Tennessee. The primary research emphasis in her laboratory has been in furthering our understanding of the developmental impact of hearing loss on young children. This work has been done by examining questions of behavioral indices of attention, environmental exploration, and academic outcomes. Her recent work has focused on the impact of hearing technology interventions on caregiver and child behavior and the sleep patterns in those with hearing loss. Dr. Tharpe has published extensively in national and international professional journals, has published numerous books and book chapters, and has presented to over 300 audiences around the world on pediatric audiology issues. She is co-editor with Dr. Richard Seewald of The Comprehensive Handbook of Pediatric Audiology, 2nd edition, which was published in 2016.
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• Receives Consulting fee for Membership on advisory committee or review panels from Phonak AG.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Alison Kemph, AuD is the Associate Director of Inpatient Pediatric Audiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. She manages a newborn hearing screening program that provides screenings for over 4900 infants in the newborn nursery and neonatal intensive care units (NICU) annually.
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Adrienne Roman is a post-doctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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Delphanie Wu is a 2nd year audiology student at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She earned her B.A. in Communicative Disorders from the University of Alabama, and she completed the Vanderbilt LEND Consortium Traineeship. Her interests include early intervention, bone anchored implants, public health, and counseling in audiology.
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Sydnie Bailey is a 1st year audiology student at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She earned a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Mississippi. Her interests include auditory training, early intervention and educational audiology.
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No relevant financial relationship exist.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.