In the municipalities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg (H:S), preliminary data indicate that 91.4% of babies born are being screened – the target was 80%. Of these, 95.1% passed at the first screen, i.e. there was a clear, positive response in both ears. The percentage of passes rises to 97.2% after a second screen at the primary screening site, i.e. without referral.
Over the first three months of the pilot program, less than 3% of all newborns were referred to the audiological department at Bispebjerg for re-screening.
Of these 45 babies, one was found to have a bilateral impairment of >100 dB HL, two with unilateral impairments of 45 and 65 dB HL, two with suspected unilateral impairments, and five with moderate unilateral impairments.
A Danish success story?
This phenomenal referral rate of 2-3% has led to this case story on why and how the pilot program has been implemented so successfully. Is there a blueprint which other programs can follow? How has this success been achieved? What are the secrets behind the Danish model?
You can hear the story from 5 different viewpoints: the top hospital administrator, the technical expert who designed the pilot program, front-line screeners, referring screener, and parents of a screened baby.
Note: variations in the data cited by those interviewed are due to the interviews being carried out at different points in time. The final data for 2005 can be found in the last section of this case story.