A case study of an emerging community-based early hearing detection and intervention program: part I. Parents' compliance.

PURPOSE: This is the first of a 2-part series of articles that describe and assess an emerging community-based early hearing detection and intervention program. This study investigated parents' compliance for accessing services for their infants at 5 levels in the process from referrals through subsequent follow-up during a 3-year period. Compliance was defined as parents' follow-through with professionals' recommendations and appointments for their infants' hearing health care.

METHOD: Investigators retrospectively reviewed the charts of 51 infants who were referred from a regional hospital's newborn hearing screening program to a private practice office and were seen from March 2000 to February 2003.

RESULTS: Compliance was 100% for initial hospital inpatient screening and for outpatient rescreening but decreased throughout the referral process. All of the parents of babies with hearing loss complied, and their infants were diagnosed by age 3 months and received audiologic or otologic intervention by age 6 months. Only half of those who needed and opted for hearing aids complied and began habilitative intervention by age 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS: Although compliance for initial and follow-up screening was excellent and met goals for national benchmarks, compliance for intervention services showed room for improvement.