| Sunday 20 May, 2012 7:30 PM | |||
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Medical coordinator of the project Fedir Yurochko
General information on the projectIn Ukraine assistance to children with diminished hearing impairmentdoes not meet world standards. The basis of assistance is screening of new-borns children’s hearing or (total examination of hearing of all new-borns children). The main factors which make the problem of hearing screening a basis of dull modern hearing care are as follows:The first and the determining factor: hearing loss of hearing is one of the most common pathologies observed at birth: in 1-3 per 1000 new-borns children in the population of generally healthy children, in 2-4 children per 100 babies of the population who were in the special intensive care baby unit. It is twice as often as nonunion of a lip (palate), twice as common as Down's syndrome, ten times oftener than phenylketonuria of babies. In case of non-detection of hypoacusis hearing loss a child becomes mentally retarded, a child does not speak. Secondly, it is a high efficiency of early intervention immediately after detection of hearing pathology of a child. If a child with hearing pathologyies acquires adequate sound amplification at the age before 6 months, then a child’s mental and language development will not differ from the development of children of the same age without pathology.  Thirdly, all the measures taken together (detection + early intervention + full social rehabilitation) need considerably less expenses than special education and lifelong invalid maintenance by the state.
The project of assistance to children with diminished hearing impairment presupposes the following components (three C): Problem definition The Objective of the Project Early detection, diagnostics and medical-social care for new-borns babies with diminished hearing loss in Ukraine The Project tasks Route of the Project The project consists of five components. All children after birth (before discharge from maternity hospital) are examined with the help of screening facilities ofoto acoustic emission (the first component of care). If this examination indicates that a child`s hearing may be does not hearOK, then a child is directed to the second stage of screening into the central hearing laboratory, where a diagnosis is finally confirmed or denied (the second component of care). If a diagnosis is confirmed then a baby under 6 months of age is provided with behind-the-ear hearing aid (the third component of care). Afterwards a child and parents are trained by an audiologist-pedagogue (the fourth component of care). At the age of 1-4 years old a child is provided with a cochlear implant if needed(the fifth component of care). Work schedule of the project Preparatory stage – development of the project, coordination with obstetrical and pediatric services of the region, development and introduction of the corresponding normative regulating documents, training of personnel responsible for examination, hearing aid and education of children with diminished hearing impairment, creation of a central hearing laboratory (provision of the second stage of hearing screening) Principal stage – set-up of screening facilities of otoacoustic emission apparatus in all the maternity hospitals of Ukraine, hearing screening, hearing aid for babies with diminished hearing impairment, deaf-and-dumb pedagogical care, information support of the families who have a deaf child with diminished hearing The final stage – cochlear implantation of children with diminished hearing loss Prognosis of the project procedure For example, annually in the Lviv region approximately 25000 children are born. Approximately 25-27 of them have diminished hearing (2-6 per month). Apart from that, repeated examination needs to be done in the Central hearing laboratory to approximately 1250 - 5000 children (100 - 450 per month). After detection of diminished hearing impairment – hearing aid provision before the age of 6 months. Afterwards - cochlear implantation of children at the age of 1-4 years old if needed. Expected results of project introduction of the project |
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