Abstract
Diagnosis and intervention for infant hearing loss is often delayed in areas of healthcare disparity, such as rural Appalachia. Primary care providers play a key role in timely hearing healthcare. The purpose of this study was to assess the practice patterns of rural primary care providers (PCPs) regarding newborn hearing screening (NHS) and experiences with rural early hearing diagnosis and intervention programs in an area of known hearing healthcare disparity. Cross sectional questionnaire study. Appalachian PCP’s in Kentucky were surveyed regarding practice patterns and experiences regarding the diagnosis and treatment of congenital hearing loss. 93 Appalachian primary care practitioners responded and 85 % reported that NHS is valuable for pediatric health. Family practitioners were less likely to receive infant NHS results than pediatricians (54.5 versus 95.2 %, p < 0.01). A knowledge gap was identified in the goal ages for diagnosis and treatment of congenital hearing loss. Pediatrician providers were more likely to utilize diagnostic testing compared with family practice providers (p < 0.001). Very rural practices (Beale code 7–9) were less likely to perform hearing evaluations in their practices compared with rural practices (Beale code 4–6) (p < 0.001). Family practitioners reported less confidence than pediatricians in counseling and directing care of children who fail newborn hearing screening. 46 % felt inadequately prepared or completely unprepared to manage children who fail the NHS. Rural primary care providers face challenges in receiving communication regarding infant hearing screening and may lack confidence in directing and providing rural hearing healthcare for children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 762-768 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Community Health |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
Funding
This publication was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (MLB, 8 KL2 TR000116-02) and the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (MLB, 1U24-DC012079-01). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Matthew L. Bush is a consultant for Med El Corporation. None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to report.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | 8 KL2 TR000116-02 |
| National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders | 1U24-DC012079-01 |
| National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) | UL1TR000117 |
Keywords
- Congenital hearing loss
- Health disparity
- Rural healthcare
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
