Universal neonatal hearing screening program at a university hospital: an analysis using quality indicators

ABSTRACT Purpose: to assess the universal neonatal hearing screening program using quality indicators. Methods: the records of newborns who were submitted to the neonatal hearing screening in 2018 were analyzed, comparing the data with the first five quality indicators established by the national guideline for neonatal hearing screening attention: 1) rate of screening coverage (≥95%); 2) age at the screening in months (up to the first month of life); 3) rate of referrals for diagnosis (2% to 4%); 4) rate of attendance to diagnostic examination (≥90%); 5) age at confirmed diagnosis (up to the third month of life). The data were submitted to quantitative and descriptive statistical analysis. Results: the rate of coverage, age at screening, and the number of referrals for diagnosis met the indicators established by the national guideline. The rate of attendance to diagnostic examination fell short of the expected, and the age at confirmed diagnosis was verified in 70% of the cases. Conclusion: using the quality indicators furnished important data on the effectiveness of the neonatal hearing screening program and identified opportunities to improve the service, which can help identify hearing loss, early.

摘要 目的：通过质量指标评估通用新生儿听力筛查项目。方法：分析2018年接受新生儿听力筛查的新生儿病历，将相关数据与国家新生儿听力筛查指南制定的前五项质量指标进行比对：1）筛查覆盖率（≥95%）；2）筛查时月龄（出生后首月内）；3）诊断转诊率（2%~4%）；4）诊断检查随访率（≥90%）；5）确诊时月龄（出生后第三月内）。对采集的数据开展定量与描述性统计学分析。结果：筛查覆盖率、筛查时月龄及诊断转诊率均符合国家指南设定的指标要求。诊断检查随访率未达预期标准，70%的病例满足确诊时月龄的限定条件。结论：借助质量指标可获取新生儿听力筛查项目有效性的关键数据，明确服务优化方向，从而助力早期听力损失的筛查识别。