Table-I.
Themes and Emerging Characteristics: Thematic Analysis.
| S.No. | Outcome Themes | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Planning | Administration of public health policy on sustainable pattern in a developed and mature hospital based NHS program. Provision of guidelines maturity of health care system, issuance of hospital initiated administrative orders. The uniform SOP’s , creation of digital data and record to gauge success of NNHS. |
| 2 | Essential requirements for NHS | In developing countries like Pakistan, presence of skilled maternal and newborn health workers, community-based screening to be linked to immunization clinics, Targeted hearing screening to be adopted, and liaison with UNHS organizations to be established. |
| 3 | High risk screening | Children missed using only high risk based screening, hearing screening equipment facility in every hospital along with maternity unit -an economically viable proposition, Centralized screening model. |
| 4 | Medical support | Primary prevention is rare. Acceptance of hearing impairment in medical community, knowledge and vision of primary physicians, Timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment, Cooperation of primary and specialty health care providers. |
| 5 | Education | Create cell for advocacy and community based public awareness, Education of professionals including technicians and technical support staff, Education of the public including parents of newborn approaching or interacting with hospital. |
| 6 | Existence of skilled maternal & newborn health workers | Availability of skilled staff in tertiary care hospitals, availability in rural areas, availability of guidelines of neonatal hearing screening at all health care levels. |
| 7 | Hearing screening equipment facility/Instrumentation | Economic viability in developing countries like Pakistan, physiological tests of auditory function, behavior-based questionnaires to identify infants with HI in all populations |
| 8 | Logistic support | Training testing and follow-up by personnel, providing for screening laboratory operations (equipment, supplies and maintenance), maintaining appropriate records. |
| 9 | Health ministry support | Rectification of flaws in health care system by Ministry of Health Regulation and Coordination, present legislation & advocacy to support NNHS. |
| 10 | Financial cover | Economic burden, GDP for health screening as a whole, reliance of donor agencies. |