Newborn Hearing Screenings for Babies Born at Home: Report from an Initiative in Michigan

Abstract

Objective: Babies born in an out-of-hospital setting (e.g., homebirth) often do not receive a universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of providing training and equipment for newborn hearing screening to midwives who attend homebirths. Study Design: Midwives from around the state of Michigan were invited to participate in a two-part UNHS training. Hearing screening data from all midwives who attended homebirths (N = 112) during the 2015 and 2016 calendar years were analyzed using a two-level multilevel model. Estimated odds of babies being screened were calculated based on midwife group. Results: Having a midwife who hosted an Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) machine at her practice increased the odds of receiving a screening by 39.37 times. Having a midwife who had access to an AABR machine increased the odds of receiving a screening by 8.57 times. Having a midwife who received focused education about the importance of newborn hearing screening increased the odds of receiving a screening by 10.82 times. Conclusion: Providing UNHS equipment and training to midwives significantly increases the odds that babies born at home will receive a hearing screening at birth. This is evidence for the continued outreach and inclusion of midwives in UNHS programs.