Effectiveness of health-promoting activities in the area of general hearing screening tests in newborns in Poland

Abstract

Introduction. An analysis of the impact of health promotion efforts as part of the Polish Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening Program demonstrated diagnostic efficacy. The health promotion efforts had been efficiently implemented via a proper execution of this long-term Program by the Great Orchestra for Christmas Charity (WOŚP) foundation. Objective. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the impact of health promotion efforts by public benefit organizations by analyzing the WOŚP foundation's involvement in the Program in Poland during 2003-2015. Materials and method. Statistical data for 2003-2015 were obtained from the database of the Department of Otolaryngology and Laryngeal Oncology at Poznan University of Medical Sciences. The analyzed data included the rates of hearingimpairment detection (phase 1), diagnosis (phase 2), and treatment (phase 3) in the newborns included in the Program, as well as the documentation of expenditures based on WOŚP's foundation annual financial reports. Results. A total of 4,672,704 newborns were screened from 2003-2015, which amounted to approximately 360,000 screened patients per year. During the analyzed 12 years of the Program, the mean proportion of children who underwent screening was 96.1%, with an observable, gradual increase in the number of children undergoing diagnostic assessments (phase 2) for a suspected hearing impairment, with the largest amount of money having been allocated to the Program implementation and expended in its early stages. The total cost of financing the Program by the year 2015 was 51,841,712 PLN. Conclusions. The Polish Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening Program resulted in an improvement in the quality in the screening test, ensured more thorough diagnostics, and shortened the time needed to implement the appropriate treatment.