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ABSTRACT INFORMATION
Title: 'Building the bridge to diagnostics' Track: 5-Follow-up, Tracking, and Data Management Audience: Primary Audience: State Health Department Secondary Audience: Federal Agency Tertiary Audeince: Early Intervention Provider Keyword(s): loss to follow-up, follow-up, data Learning Objectives: -explore areas of their EHDI program that may impact loss to follow-up. -brainstorm desired outcomes for follow-up and methods for reaching desired outcomes Abstract: Although most newborns are receiving hearing screens across the country, approximately half are not going to follow-up. Prior to 2007, New Hampshire’s loss to follow-up rate had been similar to the national average of 46% of infants not going to diagnostic audiological evaluation. It was obvious that our current system was not effectively addressing follow-up. The NH EHDI team looked at areas within the program that likely impacted loss to follow-up and then targeted desired outcomes for those areas. Areas that were considered include: hospital newborn hearing screening programs, primary care providers, EHDI personnel, and diagnostic centers. After changing processes in some of these areas, loss to follow-up has significantly decreased to 17% of infants over the past two years. Join us to learn about the course of action that we followed and changes that we incorporated to improve loss to follow-up. This information will be helpful to EHDI staff looking to reduce the number of infants lost to follow-up. Presentation(s): Not Available Handouts: Not Available
SPEAKER INFORMATION
PRESENTER(S): Dawn Zimmerman - NH EHDI      Credentials: MSP, CCC-SLP       Dawn Zimmerman, MSP, CCC-SLP is the Family Advocate for the New Hampshire EHDI Program, assisting families whose infants refer on newborn hearing screens. She also practices as a speech-language pathologist at HEAR in New Hampshire and provides professional consultation and training in language development for children with cochlear implants and hearing aids. Mary Jane Sullivan - University of New Hampshire      Credentials: Au.D., CCC-A       Mary Jane Sullivan, Au.D., CCC-A is the audiology consultant for NH EHDI program as well as an Assistant Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at the University of NH. She has been involved in various aspects of newborn hearing screening including program implementation, screening equipment trials, screener training and follow-up.   AUTHOR(S): Ruth Fox - NH EHDI      Credentials: BS, MS       BIO: Ruth Fox, BS, MS has been the Coordinator of the New Hampshire EHDI Program since it began in 2000. She has a Master’s degree in Parent-Child Nursing, and she has worked with infants, children, and their families in a variety of hospital and community settings throughout her career. Dawn Zimmerman - NH EHDI      Credentials: MSP, CCC-SLP       BIO: Dawn Zimmerman, MSP, CCC-SLP is the Family Advocate for the New Hampshire EHDI Program, assisting families whose infants refer on newborn hearing screens. She also practices as a speech-language pathologist at HEAR in New Hampshire and provides professional consultation and training in language development for children with cochlear implants and hearing aids. Mary Jane Sullivan - University of New Hampshire      Credentials: Au.D., CCC-A       BIO: Mary Jane Sullivan, Au.D., CCC-A is the audiology consultant for NH EHDI program as well as an Assistant Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at the University of NH. She has been involved in various aspects of newborn hearing screening including program implementation, screening equipment trials, screener training and follow-up.