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Published on: January 23, 2017
Caregiver Experiences of Student-Facilitated Teleaudiology Infant Diagnostic Testing
Jocelyn Phillips1, Dani Tomlin1, Kelley Graydon1
1Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
A student-led teleaudiology pilot improved access to infant hearing diagnostics. Caregivers valued convenience but raised concerns about support for complex cases and student facilitator confidence.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Telehealth
- Pediatric diagnostics
Background:
- Early diagnosis of infant hearing loss is critical.
- Access to specialized audiology services can be a barrier for families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To pilot a student-facilitated teleaudiology model for infant hearing diagnostics.
- To investigate caregiver experiences and opinions of this teleaudiology service.
Main Methods:
- Eight families with infants under six months participated in in-person or teleaudiology appointments.
- Caregiver interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Main Results:
- Teleaudiology improved appointment accessibility, convenience, and reduced travel time.
- Caregivers reported effective communication but had concerns regarding support for complex cases and student facilitator confidence.
- Family preferences varied based on concern levels and appointment complexity.
Conclusions:
- Student-facilitated teleaudiology can enhance access to infant diagnostic audiology.
- Consideration of family preferences and case complexity is essential when implementing teleaudiology services.
- Further research with larger sample sizes is recommended to explore feasibility.
Purpose:
Early diagnosis is crucial for infants with hearing loss, but access to specialized services can be challenging for some families. This study piloted a student-facilitated teleaudiology model for infant diagnostics and investigated caregiver opinions of this service in Victoria, Australia.
Method:
Eight families with infants under 6 months old participated in either in-person or teleaudiology appointments, followed by interviews with caregivers to explore their experiences. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data.
Results:
Four main themes emerged: (a) improved accessibility of appointments; (b) effective rapport building and communication, with concerns for supporting challenging scenarios; (c) varying perceptions of facilitator involvement; and (d) level of concern influencing family preferences for appointment type. Caregivers reported positive experiences with teleaudiology, citing improved convenience and reduced travel time as major benefits. However, some expressed concerns about the provision of adequate emotional support in complex cases via telehealth and some impacts of having student facilitators on caregiver confidence in the results.
Conclusions:
While a student-facilitated teleaudiology service could improve access to infant diagnostic audiology, family preferences and appointment complexity should be considered when offering this option. Future research should explore the feasibility of this service with a larger sample size.
Supplemental Material:
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.32144953.
