Impact of Newborn Hearing Screening Programme on Paediatric Audiology Services in England

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Impact of Newborn Hearing Screening Programme on
Paediatric Audiology Services in England

• Kai Uus MD PhD
• NHSP Evaluation Team
• University of Manchester
• United Kingdom

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Newborn Hearing Screening Programme in England

• NHSP started on 1st December 2002
• The plan is to cover 100 of England (600,000
  births pa) by end March 2005
• Department of Health funds the Evaluation of the
  1st phase of NHSP (23 areas)
• More information on NHSP www.NHSP.info

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NHSP Evaluation Team

• John Bamford University of Manchester
• Rachel Crocket (Holly Baker) Kings College
  London
• Theresa Marteau Kings College London
• Wendy McCracken University of Manchester
• David Parker University of Manchester
• Helen Tattersall University of Manchester
• Rod Taylor University of Birmingham
• Alys Young University of Manchester

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Aims Objectives

• To explore and quantify impact of Newborn Hearing
  Screening Programme (NHSP) on Paediatric
  Audiology services

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Material Methods

• Questionnaires sent to Heads of the Paediatric
  Audiology Services (N23)
• Follow-up telephone interviews with Heads of the
  Paediatric Audiology Services (ca 30 min)
• Repeat questionnaires and interviews ca 1 year
  into the programme

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Readiness for NHSP
How well do you think your Service is prepared
for NHSP?
A year later, how well do you think your Service
was prepared for NHSP?
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Routine procedures (pre- and post-implementation)
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Readiness vs routine procedures

• No correlation between self-perceived readiness
  and routine tests/procedures
• Tone-pip ABR (Mann-Whitney U18.5, Z-1.938,
  p0.053)
• BC ABR (Mann-Whitney U20.5, Z-1.446, p0.148)
• High-frequency tympanometry (Mann-Whitney
  U28.5, Z-0.730, p0.465)
• DSL, NAL or other published hearing aid
  prescription procedure (Mann-Whitney U20.0,
  Z-1.213, p0.225)
• Probe-tone measures (Mann-Whitney U28.5,
  Z-0.730, p0.465)

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Satisfaction with Links(pre- and
post-implementation)
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Sign Test p0.000
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Expected Challenges

• Shortage of staff
• Lack of skills/knowledge
• Resource problems
• Lack of facilities
• Organisational barriers
• Inadequate links with other services
• Management attitude  

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Expected Opportunities

• Better opportunities for children and families
• Raising the profile
• New skill development
• Increased resources 
• Better links with other services

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Major training needs

• Working with very young babies
• handling babies
• child development
• Advanced diagnostic assessment
• SSEP
• BC ABR
• tone-pip ABR
• aetiological investigation

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Major training needs (cont)

• (Re)habilitation
• Current HA technology
• Probe tone measurements
• Practical aspects (earmoulds)
• Assessing the subjective benefit of the
  intervention
• Support parents
• Counselling and breaking bad news
• Dealing with anxious parents

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Training

• Centrally funded training
• Supervised, practical, hands-on
• Quality control, standards, accreditation
• Affordable
• Easy access
• Good information on courses
• MORE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

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Who will meet the training needs?

• In-service training, peer training
• Networking
• Visits to the clinical centres of excellence
• Manufacturers, suppliers etc.
• NDSC
• Universities
• Local, regional and national

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Conclusions

• Great variety in
• current practices
• expectations
• links with other services
• Training is urgently needed

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Acknowledgements

• This work was undertaken by the Evaluation Team
  for the Implementation Pilot of Newborn Hearing
  Screening which received funding from the
  Department of Health. The views expressed in the
  publication are those of the authors and not
  necessarily those of the Department of Health

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Contact

• Dr Kai Uus
• NHSP Evaluation
• Human Communication Deafness Group
• The University of Manchester
• Oxford Road
• Manchester M13 9PL
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail kai.uus_at_man.ac.uk

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• THANK YOU!