[Transparency of the newborn hearing screening system in Germany]

The transparency of implementation of the newborn hearing screening system in Germany is analysed. For this purpose it has been tested whether the current state can be retained and evaluated by using public accessible information channels.

A selective document analysis with subsequent assessment of the federal states was performed. In the form of a scoring system an assessment approach has been developed based on defined comparison criteria. The selective document analysis was characterised by including only documents which were detected through the internet and medical databases by using defined search terms.

A complete survey of the current state of guideline implementation is not available by using public accessible information. The assessment of the federal states reveals an extremely heterogeneous situation with regard to the transparency of the implementation process in Germany. Bavaria has the highest score with 37 points, while Bremen has the lowest score with 3 points. Overall, the supply of information to experts is better constituted compared to that to the population, and respectively, the newborn's parents.

A meaningful evaluation of the implementation processes in the federal states up to now is urgently required. This is necessary both to optimise the process and to achieve the highest possible quality among patient-centred care structures nationwide.