Implementation of newborn hearing screening in Rizal, Philippines, and Northern California: Lessons learned

Objective@#The universal newborn hearing screening program has been implemented in the Philippines for the past ten years. However, screening rates in the country are still low. The current study aimed to describe the universal newborn hearing screening program (UNHSP) delivery system in Rizal, Philippines, and Northern California. @*Methods@#The study utilized a case study research design using data triangulation of FGD, KII, and document review to characterize and compare the implementation of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program in Rizal Province and Northern California. @*Results@#Several differences were found in the protocols for newborn hearing screening in Rizal, Philippines, and Northern California, including centralization of the program, availability of surveillance data, screening protocols, and tracking system. @*Conclusion@#There is an immense need to disseminate universal newborn hearing screening among healthcare practitioners and create a system to monitor and evaluate real-time data.

Outcomes of online adaptation of the universal newborn hearing screening certification

Objective@#An adaptation of the newborn hearing screening personnel certification course to an online platform started development in June 2020. It was then implemented in July 2020. The current study aimed to evaluate the initial implementation of the online adaptation of the universal newborn hearing screening certification course among participants. @*Methods@#Through a concurrent mixed-methods research design, the study triangulated program outcomes, course evaluation, and key informant interviews of participants from July to November 2020 to evaluate the initial implementation of the course. @*Results@#The certification course participants had an overall positive experience with the initial implementation of the online adaptation. Only a minority of participants expressed their dissatisfaction with the course evaluation form. Moreover, the key informant interviews showed more detailed areas of improvement. @*Conclusion@#Despite the course's high ratings and administrative strengths, the use and features of Canvas as a learning management system were needed for participants to maximize the course. Furthermore, improvements in the presentation of the lectures and increasing the interactivity and engagement of the learning materials were recommendations in the refinement of the online course.

Development and pilot implementation of the online certification of universal newborn hearing screening personnel

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective.</strong> The current paper aimed to discuss developing the online newborn hearing screening certification course and revisions made from pre-pandemic face-to-face strategies to the online implementation in response to COVID-19 limitations. Furthermore, it aimed to create recommendations for the refinement of the course.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods.</strong> The development of the adaptation consisted of document review, focus group discussions among program faculty before and after implementation, which covered the demand for the certification course, opportunities for adaptation, situational limitations, and online implementation advantages and concerns. In addition, a cost-benefit analysis of the online course was done.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Results.</strong> The certification course was developed within a month and retained the same learning objectives going into an online implementation. One significant change was the addition of a local experience module which allowed for the participation of regional newborn hearing screening coordinators. More resources were required from both instructors and learners to implement successfully. Due to the asynchronous nature of the online course, the evaluation scheme was adapted accordingly. However, teaching strategies were limited. The pricing of the course was also not optimal.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion.</strong> Although there were merits in adapting the certification course to the online learning platform, there were areas for refinement. These were the alignment of all course modules to learning objectives, the addition of varied teaching methods, and the revision of pricing for the course.</p>

Baseline knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare practitioners in Rizal Province, Philippines toward Implementing the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program

Objective@#The study describes the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare practitioners in Rizal province regarding the implementation of the universal newborn hearing screening program (UNHSP).@*Materials and Methods@#A descriptive phenomenologic research design through focus group discussions with pediatric and OBGYN consultants in a government hospital, nurses from private primary and secondary hospitals, midwives from private birthing homes, and rural health workers@*Results@#Attitudes. All participants recognized that they had important roles in implementing the program except the OBGYN consultants as they felt that information about the UNHSP should be provided by pediatricians. Practices. The lack of a screening device, trained personnel, and a referral network were the most common barriers in implementing the program. Knowledge. Most participants lacked specific knowledge about hearing loss and its implications in the UNHSP.@*Conclusion@#Most participants were able to determine the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the UNHSP. However, less than half of the participants admitted to have an established protocol to give access to newborn hearing screening services. Establishment of an information dissemination protocol and materials may be beneficial in the absence of funding for screening devices.