2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
3/14/2022 | 10:05 AM - 10:30 AM | Receipt and timeliness of newborn hearing screening and follow-up services in four states before and during the COVID-19 pandemic | Room 9
Receipt and timeliness of newborn hearing screening and follow-up services in four states before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
In January 2020, the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the United States. By March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic1, which adversely affected health care delivery2. Specifically, some birth facilities changed screening practices, audiology clinics closed or reduced their hours due to infection control policies, and families increasingly declined or delayed in-person appointments. This study aims to assess the potential impact of the pandemic on the receipt and timeliness of recommended diagnostic testing for hearing loss after failing the newborn hearing screening.
For this study, the CDC collaborated with four state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs (Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina) to analyze de-identified, child-level data. The time between referred inpatient and outpatient screens and between referred outpatient screen and first diagnostic visit, before and during the pandemic were assessed. Prevalence estimates of infants receiving diagnostic testing before the recommended three months of age between November 2019 through October 2020 were assessed. In addition, preliminary findings looking at time to diagnostic testing date among infants who were referred from the hearing screening suggest longer time among the pandemic infants period (defined as births between November 2019 through October 2020) compared to pre-pandemic infants (defined as births between November 2018 through October 2019). Findings will be shared in this presentation.
- To understand the potential impact of COVID-19 pandemic on receipt and timeliness of EHDI services
- To understand why delayed receipt of services is a public health issue
- To understand how complete and accurate data inform work
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Presenters/Authors
Suhana Ema
(Virtual), CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, vns0@cdc.gov;
Suhana Ema serves as an epidemiologist with the CDC EHDI Team. She is responsible for analyzing EHDI data and disseminating findings with jurisdictional EHDI programs and partners. She also provides technical assistance to jurisdictional EHDI programs to improve their program and tracking and surveillance work. She holds Master of Public Health degree from the University of Georgia. Suhana was born with severe to profound hearing loss on both ears and wears hearing aids. She is fluent in American Sign Language and lipreads well.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Sana Charania
(Virtual), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yje9@cdc.gov;
Sana Charania is an epidemiologist with the EHDI team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sana works to support a wide range of analytic and epidemiologic research projects, including analyses using national surveys, community based studies and individual level data. Sana has a B.A. in Anthropology and Global Health from Emory University, and MPH in Global Epidemiology from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Xidong Deng
(), CDC, htx4@cdc.gov;
Xidong Deng is a health scientist specialized in informatics with the EHDI team, National Centers for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science and Engineering. Her interest in public health informatics include data integration, data standard, EHR, and system evaluation.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -