Early Hearing Detection and Intervention-Pediatric Audiology Links to Services EHDI-PALS: Building a National Facility Database

Abstract

Objectives: To create a searchable web-based national audiology facility directory using a standardized survey, so parents and providers could identify which facilities had capacity to provide appropriate services based on child's age.

Design: An Early Hearing Detection and Intervention-Pediatric Audiology Links to Services expert panel was convened to create a survey to collect audiology facility information. Professional practice documents were reviewed, a survey was designed to collect pertinent test protocols of each audiology facility, and a standard of care template was created to cross-check survey answers. Audiology facility information across the United States was collected and compiled into a directory structured and displayed in an interactive website, ehdipals.org.

Results: Since November 7, 2012, to May 21, 2016, over 1000 facilities have completed the survey and become listed in the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention-Pediatric Audiology Links to Services directory. The site has registered 10,759 unique visitors, 151,981 page views, and 9134 unique searches from consumers. User feedback has been positive overall.

Conclusion: A searchable, web-based facility directory has proven useful to consumers as a tool to help them differentiate whether a facility was set up to test newborns versus young children. Use of a preprogrammed standard of practice template to cross-check survey answers was also shown to be a practical aid.

Fig. 1

Number of facilities captured in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention-Pediatric Audiology Links to Services over time.

Fig. 2

Screen shot of a facility service summary (source http://www.ehdipals.org).

Fig. 3

Number of page views and facility searches over time.