Follow-up services in newborn hearing screening programs.
Newborn hearing screening programs have gained wide acceptance as a means of identifying infants at risk for hearing loss. For the most part, the auditory brainstem response (ABR) technique has been the measurement tool universally adopted in the evaluation of high-risk infants. Over the years, the ABR has been used successfully with a negligible false-negative rate. Unfortunately, program follow-up services have not received similar attention, and there is a lack in program development. This article describes a series of follow-up measures that include the use of a questionnaire sent to the parents/caregivers of 401 infants who pass either the initial or retest ABR screen. A total of 262 (65%) response questionnaires were returned. The results of the questionnaire and recommendations regarding follow-up services are discussed.
Jacobson
C A
CA
Department of Audiology, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania.
Jacobson
J T
JT
D002662:Child Health Services; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000458:organization & administration; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas