LM211 - Beyond Genghis Khan: Achieving Newborn Hearing Screening and Early Intervention Services in Mongolia

Abstract:
The Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss has been working in Mongolia since 2016 to help the Mongolia Ministry of Health achieve a mandate to implement universal newborn hearing screening. The GFCHL is also training Mongolian professionals to increase local capacity in pediatric audiology, auditory-verbal therapy, and early intervention and is working to raise community-wide awareness for pediatric hearing loss and how it can be addressed. This presentation provides details about this successful initiative which is now fully sustainable in the capital of Ulaanbaatar and starting to scale and the lessons learned along the way.

Summary:
Many studies have shown that excellent listening and spoken language outcomes are possible in babies and young children with congenital hearing loss, but such outcomes are dependent on a Continuum of Care that includes: 1) early identification of hearing loss, 2) informed and involved family/caregivers, 3) timely fitting of hearing technology, and 4) access to locally based professional expertise in audiology and auditory-verbal therapy. Unfortunately, in many low resource countries, the elements in the Continuum of Care are fragmented or do not exist. As a result, thousands of young children with hearing loss globally are negatively affected.

The Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss is a US-based nonprofit organization that works internationally to help address these challenges. The organization takes a holistic view in collaborating with in-country partners across hearing health care and early education to address gaps in the Continuum of Care. It does not provide direct service but rather works to strengthen  services and expertise in the country. Those trained by the GFCHL are able to support their own young children with hearing loss and are prepared to share their knowledge with others, making the benefits exponential and sustainable. 

The Mongolia Ministry of Health wishes to achieve a 2014 mandate to establish a national newborn hearing screening program and to strengthen professional expertise in audiology and auditory-verbal practice. Prior to the start of the GFCHL’s program in 2016, there was only one public hospital in the country that had the capability to screen children for hearing loss in Mongolia, thus increasing the risk of late identification.

The GFCHL Mongolia program is a partnership with the Mongolia National Center of Maternal and Child Health to strengthen the elements in the Continuum of Care in the country. The program launched in September 2016 in the capital of Ulaanbaatar. Between September 2016 and July 2018, the GFCHL supplied all the public maternity hospitals in Ulaanbaatar with hearing screening equipment and training on their use. The GFCHL worked with the Mongolians to establish protocols and processes to successfully integrate newborn hearing screening into their system of care.

Meanwhile, the GFCHL initiated its training programs in pediatric audiology and auditory-verbal practice to strengthen habilitation services. Audiology doctors, technicians, therapists, and teachers in Ulaanbaatar have since participated in concurrent workshops designed to build their knowledge and expertise over time. In addition to training local professionals, GFCHL also offers Parent Education seminars to help families learn about their children's hearing loss and strategies they can use at home.

GFCHL has worked with local partners via media and outreach initiatives to raise awareness at all levels of society throughout Mongolia for pediatric hearing loss and its treatments. 

This presentation provides more details about the GFCHL's successful Mongolia program that could be a model to scale in other low resource countries. It also provides insights to the lessons that the GFCHL has learned over the course of this program's development and implementation that participants interested in international audiology may appreciate.