2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

3/15/2022 | 12:00 PM - 12:25 PM | Critical Community Collaborations: Ensuring EHDI During Time of Crisis | Room 8

Critical Community Collaborations: Ensuring EHDI During Time of Crisis

The provision of both routine and acute healthcare services was disrupted in March 2020 when the Coronavirus pandemic led to emergency orders precluding outpatient appointments. Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) was impacted in multiple ways across screening, diagnostics, and early intervention services due to reduced service provision, family reticence, and an overall lack of access to services. This presentation offers the experience of a community collaborative of diagnostic audiologists partnering with state of Ohio EHDI staff to evaluate the impact COVID-19 had on diagnostic follow-up for newborn hearing screening referrals. Three action steps taken by this community collaborative include: 1) Surveying providers in May 2020 to establish the state of diagnostic services; 2) Formulating urgent guidelines to triage infants based on key factors to ensure timely diagnosis; and 3) Monitoring data to evaluate initial and recovery phase impacts on diagnostic completion. Results demonstrated that infants born January-April 2020 were diagnosed at an older age, but mean age at diagnosis quickly recovered to baseline by May 2020. Additionally, loss-to-follow-up for diagnostic testing also recovered during the later months of 2020. Survey results suggest that quick recovery was related to diagnostic centers deeming infant diagnostics “essential” and prioritizing them over other services increasing access at a critical stage. Infant diagnostics were also prioritized according to triaging schemes. To assist audiologists providing diagnostic testing for follow up of infants beyond 6 months of age, Ohio adapted the American Academy of Audiology’s (AAA) 2020 Pediatric Behavioral Guidelines to standardize care. Ohio’s efforts demonstrate that partnership between audiologists and their state EHDI program can maintain outcomes during periods of crisis through collective clinical support and data tracking. Ongoing monitoring and collaboration are necessary to ensure future timely access to essential care during healthcare or staffing crises.

Attendees will be able to identify the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on infant diagnostic testing after referral on newborn hearing screening.
Attendees will be able to describe community collaboration and how partnerships between healthcare providers and EHDI staff can facilitate early identification.
Attendees will be able to evaluate evidence-based resources used to facilitate diagnosis of childhood hearing loss.

Presentation:
3353554_14941UrsulaFindlen.pdf

Handouts:
3353554_14941UrsulaFindlen.pdf

Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference

Presenters/Authors

Ursula Findlen (InPerson), Nationwide Children's Hospital, ursula.findlen@nationwidechildrens.org;
Ursula M. Findlen, Ph.D., is the Director of Audiology Research in the Division of Clinical Therapies- Audiology Department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor-Clinical at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Findlen engages in clinical practice and research endeavors related to pediatric (re)habilitative audiology, particularly in regards to a multidisciplinary team approach to family-centered care. Her research interests include infant diagnostics and improving outcomes of children with hearing loss through systematic quality improvement and population health endeavors.