Abstract
Scope: Pennsylvania’s Newborn Hearing Screening (NBHS) program is a critical state-run program that is imperative for the goal of early identification of children with hearing loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Pennsylvania’s administration of the NBHS, as well as analyze Pennsylvania’s adherence to the JCIH 1-3-6 Guidelines.
Methodology: Records from 131,832 newborns born in 2018 were analyzed for this study. Descriptive statistics were utilized to determine outcomes related to the JCIH guidelines. Prevalence of hearing loss and odds ratios were calculated to determine risks of hearing loss in the 2018 newborn population.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that Pennsylvania has a strong adherence to the 1-3-6 guidelines, with an average timeframe of 3.04 days from birth to screening, 75.39 days from birth to diagnosis, and 174.2 days from birth to early intervention enrollment. The information from this study will be used for future program development, as well as to identify areas of improvement within the Commonwealth.
Recommended Citation
Roman, A. M. Gustin, S. & Wagner, J. D. (2021). Evaluating Pennsylvania’s Newborn Hearing Screening Program. Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention, 6(1), 32-37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26077/ef7c-2fa1
Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/jehdi/vol6/iss1/4
