Improving Newborn Hearing Screening for Community Births: Update from the Michigan Midwives Newborn Hearing Screening Program

Objectives. To determine the effectiveness of a hearing screening training program for midwives who attend community births. Methods. The data for this study was obtained from the mandatory reporting data to the Michigan Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program (MI EHDI). Data included the total births and screening rates of babies born at home or in a birthing center in Michigan in the years 2020 and 2021. There were 90 birth attendants who oversaw 2711 community births across the two study years. Results. The results of this study found that having a midwife who possessed a hearing screening machine increased the likelihood of a baby receiving a hearing screening by 89 times, compared to having a midwife who did not participate in the training program. Babies born to midwives who were trained to complete hearing screenings were six times more likely to get a hearing screening. Conclusions. Providing training and hearing screening equipment to midwives improved newborn hearing screening rates for babies born outside of a hospital. This program creates more health equity to hearing healthcare for babies in Michigan.