Quality monitoring for early hearing detection and intervention programs to optimize performance.

The purpose of this chapter is to review the principles of quality monitoring for newborn screening programs at both a hospital and a public health level. The focus is on quality assurance in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI). The chapter addresses the need for a systems approach to quality, beginning with the birth screening, moving to follow-up re-screening and on to confirmatory evaluations and life-long intervention and management for the infants identified with permanent hearing loss. Benchmarks are identified to assist those involved in establishing programs or in improving program performance. As the use of electronic information systems in EHDI becomes widespread, the importance of strict computer-based logic rules to assure patient privacy is addressed. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.