Impact of Preschool Hearing Screening in Low-Income Communities: Program Outcomes and Caregiver Perspectives.

IF 2.2 3区医学 Q1 AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools Pub Date : 2025-04-10 Epub Date: 2025-03-03 DOI:10.1044/2024_LSHSS-24-00070

Tara Odendaal, Talita le Roux, De Wet Swanepoel

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to describe the impact of a preschool hearing screening program in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) in terms of referral outcomes and caregiver perspectives.

Method: This study included two components. First, a review of outcomes from a large-scale community-based hearing screening program, facilitated by community health workers (CHWs), for preschool children who failed their hearing screening. Second, telephonic surveys were conducted with (a) 25 caregivers whose children attended follow-up appointments and were diagnosed with hearing loss and (b) 33 caregivers whose children did not attend follow-up appointments.

Results: Over 21 months, 13,322 children underwent hearing screening, with an initial referral rate of 6% (809). Follow-up tests at preschools covered 86.2% (697) of children who failed the initial hearing screening, of whom 47.8% (387) presented with hearing loss and were referred for further evaluation. Among the 190 attending follow-up appointments, 54.8% (104) were diagnosed with hearing loss. Of these, 71.1% (74) had conductive hearing loss, 12.5% (13) had sensorineural hearing loss, and 13.5% (14) had mixed hearing loss. Caregivers strongly supported (96%) community-based hearing screening for preschool-aged children. Notably, attendance varied significantly between preschool rescreenings (86.2%) and health care facility follow-up appointments (49.1%). Caregivers highlighted barriers to attend hearing services including work commitments, long waiting times at health care facilities, miscommunication about referrals and appointments, relocations, and COVID-19 appointment cancellations.

Conclusions: This study highlights the effectiveness of community-based hearing screenings in LMICs, led by CHWs. It emphasizes strong caregiver support and the importance of culturally relevant communication. Challenges in follow-up attendance persist, emphasizing the need for improved accessibility and communication within health care systems. Prioritizing caregiver concerns and promoting culturally sensitive education are essential for improving outcomes.

Supplemental material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.28462613.

查看原文本刊更多论文

低收入社区学龄前听力筛查的影响：项目结果和照顾者的观点。

目的：本研究旨在描述在低收入和中等收入国家（LMIC）学龄前听力筛查项目在转诊结果和照顾者观点方面的影响。方法：本研究分为两部分。首先，回顾了由社区卫生工作者（CHWs）促进的大规模社区听力筛查项目对听力筛查失败的学龄前儿童的结果。其次，对(a) 25名儿童参加了随访预约并被诊断为听力损失的护理人员和(b) 33名儿童没有参加随访预约的护理人员进行了电话调查。结果：在21个月内，13,322名儿童接受了听力筛查，初始转诊率为6%（809）。在幼儿园进行的后续测试覆盖了86.2%（697）未通过初始听力筛查的儿童，其中47.8%（387）表现为听力损失，并被转介进行进一步评估。在190名随访患者中，54.8%（104人）被诊断为听力损失。其中，71.1%（74人）为传导性听力损失，12.5%（13人）为感音神经性听力损失，13.5%（14人）为混合性听力损失。照顾者强烈支持（96%）学龄前儿童以社区为基础的听力筛查。值得注意的是，学龄前儿童再筛查（86.2%）和卫生保健机构随访预约（49.1%）之间的出勤率差异很大。护理人员强调了参加听力服务的障碍，包括工作承诺、在医疗机构的漫长等待时间、关于转诊和预约的误解、搬迁和COVID-19预约取消。结论：本研究强调了以社区为基础的听力筛查在中低收入人群中的有效性。它强调强有力的照顾者支持和文化相关沟通的重要性。随访就诊方面的挑战依然存在，强调需要改善卫生保健系统内的可及性和沟通。优先考虑照顾者的关切和促进文化敏感的教育对改善结果至关重要。补充资料：https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.28462613。

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来源期刊

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools Social Sciences-Linguistics and Language

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

12.50%

发文量

165

期刊介绍： Mission: LSHSS publishes peer-reviewed research and other scholarly articles pertaining to the practice of audiology and speech-language pathology in the schools, focusing on children and adolescents. The journal is an international outlet for clinical research and is designed to promote development and analysis of approaches concerning the delivery of services to the school-aged population. LSHSS seeks to advance evidence-based practice by disseminating the results of new studies as well as providing a forum for critical reviews and meta-analyses of previously published work. Scope: The broad field of audiology and speech-language pathology as practiced in schools, including aural rehabilitation; augmentative and alternative communication; childhood apraxia of speech; classroom acoustics; cognitive impairment; craniofacial disorders; fluency disorders; hearing-assistive technology; language disorders; literacy disorders including reading, writing, and spelling; motor speech disorders; speech sound disorders; swallowing, dysphagia, and feeding disorders; voice disorders.