Kfoury Peter, Stout Jordan C, McVicar Stephanie Browning, Sidesinger Max, Jeon Eun Kyung, Tonkovich Kathryn, Allen Chelsea M, Firpo Matthew A, Park Albert H
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2025 Jan;188:112187. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.112187. Epub 2024 Dec 6.
This study investigates the pandemic's impact on newborn hearing screening (NBHS) and access to hearing services for children in Utah. Specifically, it explores the differences in NBHS rates, diagnostic hearing testing, early intervention enrollment, and congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) screening before and during the pandemic.
Utilizing a comprehensive statewide Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) database, we analyzed data from January 2017 to December 2021, excluding a 6-month period preceding March 16, 2020, to eliminate potential confounders related to pandemic onset. We assessed NBHS completion rates, time to diagnose hearing loss, early intervention referrals, and cCMV screening. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors influencing timely completion of the EHDI milestones.
Our study included 192,161 newborns in Utah. Although over 99 % of newborns underwent NBHS, differences were noted among those born in small towns, rural locations, home births, and self-pay situations. Births in metropolitan areas witnessed an increased proportion of NBHS and timely diagnostic ABR during the pandemic. While home births increased from 3 % of births in 2017 to 5 % in 2021, the proportion of home births who received NBHS also increased from 89.4 % pre-COVID to 96.2 % during the pandemic (p < 0.0001). The rate of timely ABR testing and EI services increased during the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic did not considerably alter NBHS rates, and overall, the rates of timely ABR diagnosis and timely EI services in the state of Utah increased during the pandemic.
本研究调查了疫情对犹他州新生儿听力筛查（NBHS）以及儿童听力服务可及性的影响。具体而言，它探讨了疫情之前和期间NBHS率、诊断性听力测试、早期干预登记以及先天性巨细胞病毒（cCMV）筛查方面的差异。
利用全面的全州早期听力检测与干预（EHDI）数据库，我们分析了2017年1月至2021年12月的数据，排除了2020年3月16日之前的6个月期间的数据，以消除与疫情爆发相关的潜在混杂因素。我们评估了NBHS完成率、听力损失诊断时间、早期干预转诊以及cCMV筛查情况。采用多变量逻辑回归分析来确定影响EHDI里程碑及时完成的因素。
我们的研究纳入了犹他州的192,161名新生儿。尽管超过99%的新生儿接受了NBHS，但在小镇、农村地区出生的新生儿、在家分娩的新生儿以及自费情况的新生儿中存在差异。在疫情期间，大都市地区出生的新生儿中NBHS和及时诊断性听性脑干反应（ABR）的比例有所增加。虽然在家分娩的比例从2017年的3%增加到2021年的5%，但接受NBHS的在家分娩新生儿比例也从新冠疫情前的89.4%增加到疫情期间的96.2%（p<0.0001）。在疫情期间，及时进行ABR测试和早期干预服务的比例有所增加。
新冠疫情并未显著改变NBHS率，总体而言，在疫情期间犹他州及时进行ABR诊断和及时提供早期干预服务的比例有所增加。
