The SCOUT study
(Statewide Comparison of Outcomes of Hearing Loss)
| Lost your SCOUT Reply Slip? |
| Lost your Parent Questionnaire? |
| Need to Contact us? |
What is the SCOUT project?
Now that newborn babies can have hearing checks, hearing loss is often picked up soon after birth. We know that newborn hearing programs help many children. SCOUT will be the first project in the world to find out how effective newborn hearing programs are for all children.
Why is SCOUT being done?
From 2003 to 2005 New South Wales offered newborn hearing checks to all babies, while Victoria offered hearing checks only to babies at high risk for deafness. SCOUT wants to study all children with bilateral hearing loss born during this period, when they are around 5 years old. This will let SCOUT find out the benefits and costs of screening all babies, compared to screening only the high risk babies.
Taking Part in SCOUT
Who can join SCOUT?
Children are invited to join SCOUT if they:
-
Have a bilateral hearing loss
-
Were fitted with hearing aids or cochlear implant(s) by 4 years of age
-
Were born between March 2003 and February 2005 in New South Wales or Victoria
What if we are in the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI) study?
Some families taking part in SCOUT are taking part in another study carried out by the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) called LOCHI. If you are one of these families, please remember:
-
It's ok to take part in LOCHI and SCOUT. They are asking different questions.
-
Your SCOUT visit will be shorter because we don't need to assess your child again.
-
We will ask permission to get some of your child's LOCHI 5-year old results. That way you and your child don't have to repeat what you've already done for LOCHI.
 |
Vivienne Martin (NSW) and Karen Wirth (VIC) will be visiting many of the children. |
What will CHILDREN in SCOUT do?
We will visit you and your child at home, kinder/preschool or school.-
If your child is in LOCHI, the visit will last about 30 to 45 minutes. Your child will NOT need to do any extra activities for SCOUT.
-
If your child is not in LOCHI (explained above) the visit will take about 3 hours. Your child will have a
SCOUT assessment. |
What will PARENTS in SCOUT do?
Parents of children in SCOUT will be asked to do three things. To read more about each one, please click on the link above.
We will ask you to:
-
Chat to us about your child's hearing loss
-
Fill out two parent questionnaires*.
-
Give us permission to access your child's service records
*If you have misplaced your parent questionnaires click here to send us an email requesting another copy: request replacement questionnaires
Who is SCOUT?
Who's supporting SCOUT?
This important study is being funded by Australia's National Health & Medical Research Council.
It has also been approved by:
-
The Human Research Ethics Committee at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital (Victoria, Australia)
-
The National Acoustic Laboratories Ethics Committee (NSW, Australia)
Which institutions are doing the research?
SCOUT is a major collaborative project involving the following institutions:
| The Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital | VIC, Australia |
| Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital | VIC, Australia |
| The National Acoustic Laboratories | NSW, Australia |
| Australian Hearing | Australia |
| Health Economics Unit, Deakin University | VIC, Australia |
| Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne | VIC, Australia |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Who is in the SCOUT Research Team?
The multidisciplinary SCOUT team has members with expertise in a range of areas such as:
| SCOUT Member | Position |
| Prof Melissa Wake | Paediatrician, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne |
| Dr Teresa Ching | Senior Scientist, National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney |
| Ms Lisa Gold | Health Economist, Deakin University, Melbourne |
| Dr Zeffie Poulakis | Director, Victorian Infant Screening Program |
| Prof Field Rickards | Dean of Education, Melbourne University |
| Prof Sheena Reilly | Professor of Speech Pathology, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne |
| Dr Harvey Dillon | Director, National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney |
| Dr Melinda Barker | Co-Director, Victorian Infant Screening Program |
| Ms Alison King | Principal Audiologist, Paediatric Services, Australian Hearing |
| Dr Elisabeth Murphy | Senior Clinical Advisor, Maternal Child Health, NSW Department of Health |
| Dr Obioha Ukoumunne |
Statistician, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne |
|
|
|
From top left: Dr Harvey Dillon, Ms Vivienne Martin, Dr Zeffie Poulakis, Dr Karen Wirth. |
SCOUT forms
| Your child is IN the LOCHI study | Your child is NOT in the LOCHI study | |
|
Want to read about SCOUT? |
||
| Need even more detail about SCOUT? | SCOUT Parent Info and Consent Form-In LOCHI.pdf | SCOUT Parent Info and Consent-Not in LOCHI.pdf |
|
Misplaced your |
SCOUT Parent Info and Consent Form-In LOCHI.pdf | SCOUT Parent Info and Consent-Not in LOCHI.pdf |
|
Misplaced your |
To send us an email requesting another copy click: request replacement questionnaires |
To send us an email requesting another copy click: request replacement questionnaires |
Progress
-
Currently 134 children are taking part in SCOUT.
-
So far 111 families have had their SCOUT visit, 57 in VIC and 54 in NSW.
-
Families were first invited to join SCOUT in September 2008 and we plan to keep inviting families to take part until early 2010.
-
A poster presentation about SCOUT was given at the 2008 UNHS (Universal Newborn Hearing Screening) conference in Italy.
Useful Links
SCOUT study details
| Official Title | Population outcomes and cost-effectiveness of universal newborn hearing screening vs. risk factor screening at age 5 years. |
| Date | Start: 2008 Finish: 2011 |
| Funding | NHMRC (Australia's National Health & Medical Research Council) |
Contact Us
| SCOUT Office Contact Details | Email: scout.study@mcri.edu.au Phone: (03) 9345 6528 |
| Victorian SCOUT contacts |
Dr Karen Wirth (Project Manager) Dr Zeffie Poulakis (Psychologist) Professor Melissa Wake (Paediatrician) |