Telehealth-enabled auditory brainstem response testing for infants living in rural communities: the British Columbia Early Hearing Program experience.

Objective

The present study investigated a telehealth-enabled auditory-brainstem-response (TH-ABR) programme provided by the British Columbia Early Hearing Program (BCEHP) to families in a remote northern area who face barriers such as travel distance and access to audiologists trained in ABR testing. Objectives were to: (i) outline the design/implementation of a TH-ABR programme, (ii) summarise equipment/procedures, and (iii) report on results for the TH-ABR programme (cost/time effectiveness, testing accuracy/efficiency, and caregiver satisfaction).

Design

TH-ABR implementation was described and TH-ABR results were compared to behavioural follow-up findings to evaluate TH-ABR test accuracy. Caregivers were invited to complete TH-ABR satisfaction surveys following their appointment(s). Study sample: One hundred and two infants (mean age: 2.3 months) were assessed via TH-ABR at four points-of-care; 41/66 caregivers completed surveys.

Results

The TH-ABR programme was suitable, sustainable and scalable. After 29 TH-ABR events, the service was cost neutral to BCEHP ($91,250 averted after 102 TH-ABRs). Fifty infants were identified with hearing loss and TH-ABR accuracy and efficiency were comparable to face-to-face assessments. Parent survey results indicated a high level of satisfaction with the TH-ABR experience.

Conclusions

TH-ABR is efficient, accurate, valued by parents, optimises availability to audiology resources, builds local service capacity, and reduces costs for northern BC communities.