A questionnaire-based study on parental satisfaction with a universal newborn hearing screening program in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Objectives

The present study aimed to determine levels of parents’ satisfaction associated with the universal newborn hearing screening process in a university hospital setting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Methods

Parents whose babies had undergone a hearing screening test at the Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, participated in this study. In this study, the original English version of the Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire with Neonatal Hearing Screening Program (PSQ-NHSP) was translated and adapted into Malay language. Thus, this self-administered Malay version of PSQ-NHSP was used to measure parents’ satisfaction on information of newborn hearing screening program, personnel in charge of the hearing testing, hearing screening activities, and overall satisfaction.

Results

Of the 200 questionnaires distributed, 119 parents (59.5%) responded. Overall, more than 80% of parents were satisfied with the program. The highest percentage of satisfaction (95.6%) was related to the contents of an information leaflet. However, parents were not satisfied with items measuring communication aspect of personnel in charge of the hearing screening. In specific, 38.1% of parents were not satisfied with the explanations and information provided by the screeners on the test procedures, while 26.1% of parents found that the information they received on the test results was insufficient.

Conclusions

The findings of the present study revealed that parents were generally satisfied with the UNHS program. However, further intervention is required to improve the communication aspects of the personnel in charge of the hearing testing. Results suggest that the questionnaire is easily employed and effective tool for assessing parental satisfaction with newborn hearing screening programs. Additionally, this study has demonstrated the survey tool to be useful in identifying areas that need changes or improvements.