Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire with Neonatal Hearing Screening Programs: psychometric properties of the Persian version

Parent’s Satisfaction of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program in Iran

Measuring parent satisfaction is an important factor in pediatric health care service programs because parents play a major role in their child's life. The parental decisions are a basis for the success or failure of the child's treatment in many cases. The purpose of this study was to determine levels of parents' satisfaction following the implementation of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) program in Iran. In this study, the Persain version of the parent satisfaction questionnaire with neonatal hearing screening program (PSQ-NHSP) was used to measure parents' satisfaction on information of newborn hearing screening program, personnel in charge of the hearing testing, hearing screening activities, and overall satisfaction. Newborns were screened using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions and automatic auditory brainstem response tests within the first 48 h of life for each ear. Of the 312 questionnaires distributed, 217 parents (67%) responded. The mean scores of the "overall satisfaction" items ranged from 4.07 to 4.29, demonstrating high levels of parent satisfaction with this aspect of the program. More than 86% of parents were overally satisfied with the hearing screening program. In open-ended items, 84% of parents comments showed their satisfaction. The findings of the present study revealed that parents were generally satisfied with the UNHS program. The PSQ-NHSP questionnaire is easily employed and effective method for assessing parental satisfaction with newborn hearing screening programs.

Parents' satisfaction with a trial of a newborn hearing screening programme in Jordan

OBJECTIVE

This study examines parents' satisfaction level toward a trial of a newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP) that was applied in King Abdullah II University Hospital (KAUH) in Jordan over one year. This is the first study that investigated parents' satisfaction toward a hearing screening programme in the Arab countries, and the results will improve any future screening programmes in the Arabian region.

METHOD

The main tool for this study was a questionnaire that was translated and modified from the original version of the Parental Satisfaction with the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (PSQ-NHSPs1). The questionnaire consisted of 19 items covering five main aspects of the NHSP. The parents' responses were not anonymously given where the parents whose children had undergone the hearing screening were contacted by phone using the data record of the hospital.

RESULTS

The majority of the parents were very satisfied with the programme overall and showed great support and appreciation for the effort in testing their babies and increasing their awareness. The satisfaction levels varied among the specific aspects of the programme. Good portion of the parents did not receive the brochure containing information about the screening, and almost half of them did not know the results of the hearing screening.

CONCLUSION

Parents were overall satisfied with neonatal hearing screening programme that was conducted at KAUH. However, parents were less satisfied with information related to the test procedure and results. Parents' responses in this study could be used to improve any future hearing screening program in Jordan or in the Arab countries.

Newborn Hearing Screening: Early Education = More Satisfied Mothers

Newborn hearing screening (NBHS) has become the norm in all states in the United States. However, parents receive limited information about it, usually at the hospital, and have low awareness about the process. Yet parents and professionals agree that communication about the NBHS process should begin before childbirth (Arnold et al., 2006). Having information about the screening process, simply by being present for the screening and knowing the results, has been shown to positively affect parental attitudes toward NBHS (Weichbold, Welzl-Mueller, & Mussbacher, 2001). Purpose The aim of this study was to assess whether providing expectant mothers with information related to the NBHS process in the 3rd trimester will increase their satisfaction with the NBHS program. Method Partnering with a local obstetrician, expectant mothers were provided with information regarding NBHS. A modified version of the Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire with Neonatal Hearing Screening Program (Mazlan, Hickson, & Driscoll, 2006) was administered to mothers who received information and mothers who did not receive any education. Results Quantitative results indicate significantly increased satisfaction with the NBHS program when early education was received. Qualitative comments from participants support the quantitative findings. Conclusion Results suggest that educating obstetricians and their nurses about NBHS and having them provide information to expectant mothers, as well as having mothers present for the screening, may increase parental satisfaction and therefore benefit early hearing detection and intervention programs.

Maternal knowledge and attitudes to universal newborn hearing screening: Reviewing an established program

OBJECTIVES

To facilitate early diagnosis of infants with hearing loss, a universal newborn hearing screening program (UNHS) has been implemented in Hong Kong's public hospitals for over a decade. However, there have been no known studies investigating parent attitudes to, and satisfaction with, UNHS since its launch in Hong Kong. The present study aimed to investigate knowledge of UNHS as well as infant hearing development, and attitudes and satisfaction with UNHS, in Hong Kong mothers with newborns. The study was designed to help evaluate and improve an established UNHS public hospital program, based on the perspectives of service users.

METHODS

A researcher-developed questionnaire was administered to 102 mothers whose newborn had received UNHS in the postnatal wards of a large public hospital in Hong Kong. The questionnaire considered parental knowledge of UNHS and infant hearing development, attitudes and satisfaction toward public hospital UNHS. In the knowledge dimension, parents' preferred time and location for pre-test information delivery, interpretation of screening results, and knowledge of hearing developmental milestones were surveyed. In addition, maternal attitudes to and satisfaction with UNHS screening services, the potential impact of UNHS on parent emotions and parent-baby bonding, attitudes toward informed consent, and willingness to comply with diagnostic assessment referral were also be surveyed.

RESULTS

Mean participant scores on knowledge of infant hearing development were relatively low (M = 2.59/6.0, SD = 0.90). Many mothers also underestimated the potential ongoing risks of hearing impairment in babies. Around 80% of mothers thought an infant could not have hearing impairment after passing the screening. In addition, one-third of mothers thought a baby could not later develop hearing impairment in infancy or childhood. In terms of attitudes and satisfaction, participants gave somewhat negative ratings for questions regarding receiving sufficient information about the screening (M = 2.90/5.0, SD = 1.27), screening procedure (M = 2.20/5.0, SD = 1.08), and sufficiency of information about results (M = 2.87/5.0, SD = 1.14). Nonetheless, participants gave positive ratings concerning whether screening could lead to early diagnosis (M = 4.61/5.0, SD = 0.57) and over 95% of mothers supported UNHS despite potential for false positive results. Mothers reported a high willingness to bring their baby to follow-up assessments if required (M = 4.53/5.0, SD = 0.56). Participants gave positive ratings for their level of satisfaction with the time and location of first UNHS information provision (M = 4.34/5.0, SD = 0.80) and the way permission was asked for screening the baby (M = 4.04/5.0, SD = 0.97) but alternative procedures were also recommended. Most recommendations focused on providing more information about the test and a more detailed explanation of screening results.

CONCLUSIONS

The survey results highlighted the need to provide more information to parents about infant hearing development to support home monitoring for signs of hearing loss after UNHS, as well as more detailed explanation and information regarding hearing screening and the implications of results to parents. Regardless of location, surveys of this type may provide valuable support for UNHS program quality assurance.

Neonatal hearing screening: what we have achieved and what needs to be improved

OBJECTIVE

To review the literature on neonatal hearing screening and its weaknesses with regard to missed follow-ups and delayed diagnosis and management.

RESULTS

The implementation of newborn hearing screening programs has indeed lowered the mean age of hearing loss identification and many deaf children are now diagnosed at an early age of some months. However, the present collection of 32 studies published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology revealed that late-onset deafness, auditory neuropathy, and the alarming percentage of newborns who fail the initial testing and then are lost to follow-up are major weaknesses of neonatal hearing screening programs. It seems that parents may be satisfied of hearing screening but in a significant percentage of them do not bring their children for follow-up or further testing due to phycho-social or other reasons. In addition, the same collection revealed that socioeconomic factors may have a significant influence on the effectiveness of hearing screening programs in the developed and developing countries, where improvements in health care politics, tracking system and public awareness is crucial for successful program implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

Neonatal hearing screening programs have changed the whole picture of congenital deafness as age identification has significantly fallen with a very positive effect on timely management. However, the selected and proposed 32 related articles published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology show that there are still serious weakness in the neonatal hearing screening that need improvements in order to achieve an efficient and cost-effective system of deafness identification.

A questionnaire-based study on parental satisfaction with a universal newborn hearing screening program in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

OBJECTIVES

The present study aimed to determine levels of parents' satisfaction associated with the universal newborn hearing screening process in a university hospital setting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

METHODS

Parents whose babies had undergone a hearing screening test at the Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, participated in this study. In this study, the original English version of the Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire with Neonatal Hearing Screening Program (PSQ-NHSP) was translated and adapted into Malay language. Thus, this self-administered Malay version of PSQ-NHSP was used to measure parents' satisfaction on information of newborn hearing screening program, personnel in charge of the hearing testing, hearing screening activities, and overall satisfaction.

RESULTS

Of the 200 questionnaires distributed, 119 parents (59.5%) responded. Overall, more than 80% of parents were satisfied with the program. The highest percentage of satisfaction (95.6%) was related to the contents of an information leaflet. However, parents were not satisfied with items measuring communication aspect of personnel in charge of the hearing screening. In specific, 38.1% of parents were not satisfied with the explanations and information provided by the screeners on the test procedures, while 26.1% of parents found that the information they received on the test results was insufficient.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the present study revealed that parents were generally satisfied with the UNHS program. However, further intervention is required to improve the communication aspects of the personnel in charge of the hearing testing. Results suggest that the questionnaire is easily employed and effective tool for assessing parental satisfaction with newborn hearing screening programs. Additionally, this study has demonstrated the survey tool to be useful in identifying areas that need changes or improvements.