title: A conceptual framework for rationalized and standardized Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) programs.
abstract: Congenital hearing loss is the most frequent birth defect. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing established quality of care process indicators for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening starting from 1999. In a previous systematic review of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening studies we highlighted substantial variability in program design and in reported performance data. In order to overcome these heterogeneous findings we think it is necessary to optimize the implementation of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening programs with an appropriate application of the planning, executing, and monitoring, verifications and reporting phases. For this reason we propose a conceptual framework that logically integrates these three phases and, consequently, a tool (a check-list) for their rationalization and standardization.Our paper intends to stimulate debate on how to ameliorate the routine application of high quality Universal Newborn Hearing Screening programs. The conceptual framework is proposed to optimize, rationalise and standardise their implementation. The checklist is intended to allow an inter-program comparison by removing heterogeneity in processes description and assessment.
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Unit of Lecce (CNR-IFC), c/o Campus Universitario Ecotekne, Via per Monteroni, Lecce, 73100, Italy. leo@ifc.cnr.it.|Tufts Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Decision Making, 800 Washington St, Boston, MA, 02111, USA. leo@ifc.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Carlo Giacomo
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies (CNR-IRPPS), Research Unit of Brindisi, c/o ex Osp. Di Summa, Central Building Floor 1 Office 18 - P.zza Di Summa, Brindisi, 72100, Italy. pierpaolo.mincarone@irpps.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mincarone
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Unit of Lecce (CNR-IFC), c/o Campus Universitario Ecotekne, Via per Monteroni, Lecce, 73100, Italy. sabina@ifc.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Saverio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabina
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Unit of Lecce (CNR-IFC), c/o Campus Universitario Ecotekne, Via per Monteroni, Lecce, 73100, Italy. gilatini@tin.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Latini
authors.affiliation: Tufts Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Decision Making, 800 Washington St, Boston, MA, 02111, USA. jwong@tuftsmedicalcenter.org.|Tufts University, School of Medicine, 145 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, 02111, USA. jwong@tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014481:United States