2025 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 9-11, 2025 • Pittsburgh, PA
DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER
| Development and Implementation of an Online Curriculum on Caring for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in the Medical Home: A Pilot Study
Development and Implementation of an Online Curriculum on Caring for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in the Medical Home: A Pilot Study
1 to 2 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). While parents of DHH children report turning to Primary Care Providers (PCPs) for guidance, PCPs report feeling ill-equipped to care for DHH children. To address this gap, we developed and piloted an online educational module using the open-access peer-reviewed medical education platform, OPENPediatrics. In collaboration with stakeholders across pediatrics, psychology, speech-language pathology, audiology, otolaryngology, and self and family advocates, we developed an interactive online module on caring for DHH children. We piloted this educational intervention using a pretest-posttest design to describe baseline knowledge of participants and evaluate the efficacy of the module as an educational intervention. Pre- and Post-Module surveys included demographic information, baseline knowledge, content learned, and self-reported impact on clinical practice. Of the 31 participants enrolled in the study, 45% (n=14) completed the module in its entirety. Our sample of providers included 78% physicians. 62% of providers received no training in caring for children who are DHH during their graduate medical education, while 75% lacked training in this topic during post-graduate years. Pre- and Post-Module assessment scores were not significantly different (53% ± 16% and 52% ± 12%, respectively). Completion of the module resulted in up to an 8-fold increase in participants who felt “Very Confident” across a number of domains of care, including being the medical home provider for DHH children, counseling families on language development, and understanding Deafness as a cultural identity.In this pilot study we found providers to have low rates of prior training experience and baseline knowledge on caring for DHH children, highlighting the need for more education. Participants also reported significantly increased confidence caring for DHH children although additional work is needed to further refine and validate our content based questions.
- Identify key components of effective medical educational materials for clinical providers.
- Outline strategies for bringing educational modules to primary care and clinical providers in your own states and EHDI communities.
- Discuss approach for evaluating the effectiveness of an educational module in reaching its learning objectives
Presentation:
3545975_18183OliviaBrumfield.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Olivia Brumfield
(Primary Presenter,Co-Author), Harvard Medical School, oliviabrumfield@hms.harvard.edu;
Olivia Brumfield is a 4th year medical student at Harvard Medical School. She completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at the University of Rochester where she became involved with the Deaf community and obtained a minor in American Sign Language. She is applying for residency in Pediatric Neurology.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Arielle Spellun
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, arielle.spellun@bmc.org;
Arielle H. Spellun MD is a hearing Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician at Boston Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Clinically, Dr. Spellun conducts developmental assessments and provides longitudinal care for children with developmental differences and disabilities with a special focus on caring for children who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) and their families. Her research focuses on supporting DHH children and their families in the pediatric medical home and educating clinical providers on how to care for DHH children from a Deaf health equity perspective in order to improve linguistic and developmental outcomes.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Jennifer Fleming
(Co-Author), MA DPH, jennifer.fleming@state.ma.us;
Jennifer Fleming is the special projects coordinator for the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program. In her former career, she was an engineer working in the medical device industry. She now has two children including a 13-year-old son who is deaf. Her new passion is to serve and support deaf and hard of hearing children and their families. She is a member of the state's Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee. She recently completed her fellowship with the Shriver Center’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Disabilities Program (LEND) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Sarah Stone
(Co-Author), MA Dept. of Public Health, sarah.stone@state.ma.us;
Sarah Stone is the Director of the Massachusetts Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program. She has a hearing loss and has been with the program for over 20 years. She has developed programming for families, including social and educational events. She is a member of the state's Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Kelly Wills
(Author), Boston Children's Hospital, Kelly.Wills@childrens.harvard.edu;
Dr. Kelly Wills completed her residency in Pediatrics at Tufts Medical Center Floating Hospital for Children, where she also served as chief resident. She completed her General Academic Pediatrics fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and her Masters of Medical Sciences in Medical Education at Harvard Medical School. She is currently a staff pediatrician in General Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Wills is responsible for assisting with reviewing and developing general pediatric content for clinicians. Scholarly interests include learner assessment and curriculum development with a particular focus on utilizing innovative educational technology to promote self-directed and individualized learning as well as spaced education and gamification.
Other positions: Staff Physician, General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Jane Stewart
(Co-Author), BIDMC, jstewart@bidmc.harvard.edu;
Jane Stewart, M.D. is the MA AAP EHDI Chapter Champion. She has been an integral, founding member of the MA EHDI program and has served as a Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee member for many years. She continues to strive to optimize early access to communication for children with reduced hearing. Her publication “Hearing Loss in Pediatrics: What the Medical Home Needs to Know” as authored with colleague Jennifer Bentley, AuD. is referenced below. 1
1 Stewart J, Bentley J. Hearing Loss in Pediatrics: What the Medical Home Needs to Know. Pediatr Clin N Am 66(2019)425-436.
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