Structured health education to improve nurses' newborn hearing screening competencies: A quasi-experimental study

To determine whether nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards newborn hearing screening (NBHS) improve following a structured health education intervention (HEI).

The effectiveness of NBHS relies heavily on nurses' preparedness. However, limited training and confidence often hinder effective parent counselling and timely referrals for infants who fail initial screening. Enhancing nurses' competence through targeted education may strengthen early hearing detection and intervention efforts.

This quasi-experimental, single-group pretest-posttest study involved 70 registered nurses from the maternity and neonatal wards of a tertiary public hospital in Malaysia attended a 120-min HEI session. Content included NBHS rationale, the '1-3-6' benchmark, risk factors, result interpretation, referral pathways, and parent-centered counselling. The session was delivered in English with bilingual (English-Malay) discussions and pamphlets for bedside use. Knowledge was assessed using a 22-item scale (General Facts; Diagnosis/Early Intervention; Risk Factors) and attitudes with a 25-item scale (cognitive, affective, behavioural) before and after the intervention.

Post-intervention, 94% of nurses achieved the knowledge adequacy threshold compared with 3% at baseline. The greatest improvements were in identifying risk factors and understanding early diagnosis. Attitudes showed significant positive changes across all domains, with increased confidence, motivation, and readiness to counsel parents.

A brief, low-cost HEI conducted within ward settings significantly improved nurses' NBHS knowledge and attitudes. Its practicality and adaptability make it a promising model for integration into nursing education and continuing professional development to support timely hearing screening and referral.