Newborn hearing screening: an outpatient model.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of implementing an outpatient model of a newborn hearing screening program with a particular focus on determining how compliance with the follow-up appointment related to specific socio-economic and demographic factors associated with the mother.


METHODS
Mothers who delivered their babies in public hospitals in Recife, northeast Brazil, were invited to participate in a two-step program. In Step 1 they were interviewed with regard to specific socio-economic and demographic factors, and then scheduled for a hearing screening test for their baby 1 month after discharge. In Step 2, the baby's hearing was screened using transient otoacoustic emissions.


RESULTS
A total of 1035 mothers consented to participate in Step 1, but only 149 returned to participate in Step 2 (14.3%). Analysis of the socio-economic and demographic factors indicated that mothers who did not comply with the scheduled newborn hearing screening (NHS) test generally had less than a high school education and came from primarily lower income families who lived in rural areas outside of Recife.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study highlight some socio-economic and demographic factors of the population of northeast Brazil that contribute to a low compliance rate for an outpatient model of a newborn hearing screening program. Possible solutions to the low compliance rate are considered.
Griz
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sgriz@terra.com.br
Mercês
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Menezes
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult