Parents' preferences for services for children with hearing loss: a conjoint analysis study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric audiology
• Rehabilitation services
• Health services research

Background:

• Universal newborn hearing screening identifies childhood hearing loss early.
• Effective intervention requires integrated rehabilitation and parent support.
• Understanding parental preferences is crucial for optimizing intervention services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine parents' preferences for characteristics of intervention services for young children with permanent hearing loss.
• To explore potential differences in preferences based on patient subgroups.

Main Methods:

• Conjoint analysis, a preference-based economic technique, was employed.
• A cross-sectional survey with hypothetical clinic scenarios was administered to parents in Ontario, Canada.
• Participants were recruited from three clinical programs post-universal hearing screening implementation.

Main Results:

• All five service characteristics (coordination, parent support, information access, frequency, location) were significant.
• Parents preferred clinic-based services over home-based, and once-weekly over more frequent therapy.
• Well-coordinated care with peer support was highly valued, irrespective of screening status, device type, or region.

Conclusions:

• Conjoint analysis effectively quantifies parental preferences for healthcare services.
• Parental preferences highlight the importance of coordinated care and support networks in pediatric hearing loss intervention.
• Findings inform the development of service models for children with hearing loss and their families.