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Course Description

The purpose of these modules is to inform and educate primary care providers about the process of diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients with congenital hearing loss. There is currently a disparity in hearing healthcare between urban and rural regions and physician education may play a crucial role in reducing the severity of this disparity. Each module focuses on a different aspect of hearing health: causes and consequences, diagnosis and treatment, and disparities and delays.

All of the modules begin and end with a pre-test and post-test, respectively, in order to allow the participant to assess what they have learned during that particular session. Six months after completing module three, you will be emailed an exit questionnaire. After completing the questionnaire, you can claim CME credit for participation of this entire course.

Research Participation

One of the purposes of this course is to assess the utility of such education programs in effecting change in physician practices related to pediatric hearing health. By participating in this course, you are consenting to the use of your responses for research purposes. Responses from the surveys and quizzes completed throughout these modules will be collected and analyzed in order to be able to assess current physician knowledge and attitudes regarding pediatric hearing health, as well as any changes in these attitudes following the completion of the course.

About the eLearning Community

Interact with your colleagues and course faculty in an online forum to discuss issues relevant to your continued learning. For six months after you complete the module, an eLearning Community will be available to you. Questions, comments and discussion related to the course content or issues of concern in your clinical practice are welcomed. The eLearning forum will be moderated by the faculty presenters.

"As most pediatricians, when I was in private practice I found my knowledge of hearing loss in infants and young children to be lacking and certainly not updated. The program on congenital hearing loss and rural discrepancies of care by Dr. Bush is the most concise and informative program on the subject that I have seen. The program not only educates but places a call to arms about a serious treatable problem that we are failing to provide our youngest children." Carmel Wallace, MD, FAAP, Chair University of Kentucky Department of Pediatrics

"It is important for primary care providers to recognize congenital hearing abnormalities, but they are often missed in the course of routine primary care. Failure to make a timely diagnosis of congenital hearing loss can lead to partial or complete deafness that could have been prevented, thus committing the child to lifelong educational, social and economic hardships. When recognized very early in life, congenital hearing abnormalities can often be effectively treated, but are very difficult for parents to recognize in time for treatments to be most effective. Frontline primary care providers are the clinicians upon whom families rely to recognize hearing problems in their infants, and arrange for further diagnosis and treatment." Kevin Pearce, MD, MPH, Chair University of Kentucky Department of Community and Family Medicine