Journal article
Current Ear and Hearing Care Practices for Infants and Toddlers with Cleft Palate in the United States
The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal, Vol.62(11), pp.1910-1918
11/2025
DOI: 10.1177/10556656241283535
PMID: 39376162
Abstract
Objective To examine ear and hearing clinical practices across American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) approved teams in the United States. Design Multi-site prospective, observational, longitudinal study. Setting Seventeen Cleft Palate Teams in the United States. Patients, Participants Children with cleft palate, with or without cleft lip (CP ± L), born between 2015 and 2022, evaluated by 18 months (n = 1246). Interventions None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Standard of care otolaryngology and audiology appointments evaluated in the context of whether otolaryngology and audiology services were provided as embedded care within the team visit or as ancillary services. Results Over 71% of infants passed newborn hearing screening (NBHS). By age 18 months, only 40% of infants received audiologic follow-up while 93.6% of children received otolaryngology care. Follow-up was significantly better for infants served by teams with embedded providers versus those who refer families for ancillary services; the odds of seeing an audiologist by 18 months were three times as high among participants seen by teams with embedded audiology (OR = 3.25; CI = 2.0, 5.2) while those seen by teams with embedded otolaryngologists had more than double the odds of seeing an otolaryngologist by 18 months (OR = 2.2; CI = 1.5, 3.2). Conclusions There is considerable variability across ACPA-approved centers in the US regarding the timing and completion of otolaryngology and audiologic follow-up for children with CP ± L. This study highlights the importance of following established standards of care and the impact that team composition and access to clinical services can have on equity of care.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Current Ear and Hearing Care Practices for Infants and Toddlers with Cleft Palate in the United States
- Creators
- Ursula M. Findlen - Nationwide Children's HospitalAnna Meehan - Seattle Children's HospitalGregory Allen - University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusDeborah S.F. Kacmarynski - University of IowaJonathan Grischkan - Nationwide Children's HospitalEmily C. Nightengale - Children's Hospital ColoradoLauren C. Alexander - Children's Hospital ColoradoSarah Hatch Pollard - University of UtahAdriane L. Baylis - The Ohio State UniversityCleft Outcomes Research NETwork (CORNET) Consortium
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal, Vol.62(11), pp.1910-1918
- DOI
- 10.1177/10556656241283535
- PMID
- 39376162
- NLM abbreviation
- Cleft Palate Craniofac J
- ISSN
- 1055-6656
- eISSN
- 1545-1569
- Publisher
- SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
- Grant note
- National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health: R01DE027493
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01DE027493.The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 10/08/2024
- Date published
- 11/2025
- Academic Unit
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center; Otolaryngology
- Record Identifier
- 9984722564302771
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