Follow-up in newborn hearing screening - A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Public Health
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Newborn hearing screening (NHS) programs require effective follow-up for quality and efficiency.
• High loss to follow-up (LTF) rates, exceeding feasible benchmarks, jeopardize the success of NHS programs.
• Identifying LTF rates, causes, and reduction strategies is crucial for improving infant hearing health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze reported rates of loss to follow-up (LTF) in newborn hearing screening (NHS).
• To identify and examine the primary reasons attributed to LTF in NHS programs.
• To explore and evaluate strategies implemented to reduce LTF in NHS.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across multiple databases (PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, ERIC, Scopus, Ovid, ProQuest, Cochrane Library) for articles published between 2005 and December 2015.
• Included studies focused on loss to follow-up or dropout rates in newborn hearing screening programs and were published in indexed, peer-reviewed English-language journals.
• Data extraction focused on overall LTF rates, contributing factors, and adopted mitigation strategies.

Main Results:

• A total of 53 articles were included, comprising single-centre, multi-centre, database comparison, and survey-based studies.
• Overall LTF rates were observed at 20% for single-centre and 21% for multi-centre studies.
• Educational disparity and insufficient parental knowledge were significant factors associated with LTF; robust data management systems were identified as the most common strategy to overcome LTF.

Conclusions:

• This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of LTF in NHS studies, including its prevalence, causes, and effective reduction strategies.
• The findings offer a foundational basis for the development and implementation of more effective newborn hearing screening programs.
• Addressing educational disparities and enhancing parental knowledge, coupled with efficient data management, are key to improving follow-up rates in NHS.