Newborn hearing screening: An outpatient model

SummaryObjectiveThe 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.MethodMothers 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.ResultsA 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.ConclusionThe 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.