Introduction: The Polish Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening Program (PUNHSP) is one example of a nationwide pro-health program in Poland. This program is aimed at early diagnosis and intervention in children with hearing impairment, and is an example of a well-managed program. Presenting the results of the PUNHSP, particularly organisational aspects and experience, can assist institutions managing other programs to achieve high efficiency. The aim of this work was to perform a detailed analysis of the PUNHSP by identifying the changes implemented over the 15 years it has been active, as well as the consequences of their introduction in terms of improved quality and efficiency. Materials and methods: Data from the PUNHSP, registered in the central database, were evaluated, as well as organisational information related to management, IT support and infrastructure. The analysis was based on quality assessment parameters (identification of changes and the purpose of their introduction) and effectiveness (consequences of introducing the changes). The analysis includes the 15-year period in which the PUNHSP has been active, from 2002 to 2017. Results: Thirteen main modifications of the program were identified according to the definition of “change”, in addition to 11 smaller modifications resulting from the necessity to adapt to current requirements. The changes were grouped into five categories: legal, administrative, management, audit and control, and IT. Discussion: The changes implemented in the PUNHSP can be assumed to have positively influenced various aspects of the program, but do not exhaust the possibilities for further optimisation of functioning. Conclusions: The program requires constant development in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of its operation, and the changes and solutions implemented in this program could be applied to improve existing pro-health programs, as well as those yet to be created.
The Polish Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening Program (PUNHSP) has been carried out in Poland for 14 years. The main aim of this Program is to organize hearing screening tests and to gather the Informations about risk factors of hearing loss in almost all newborns in Poland. It consists of 496 centers at 3 referral levels. A total of 5 458 114 children had been registered in the Central Database (CDB) of PUNHSP by the 22nd of August 2017. Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was the most frequently appearing hearing impairment in children. It was diagnosed in 260 cases in 2016. This report presents the most important results and conclusions concerning the running of the PUNHSP in 2016.