Towards Context-Specific EHDI Services: Understanding Caregivers' Priorities and Preferences in South Africa Through a Conjoint Analysis.
Katijah Khoza-Shangase, Ntsako P Maluleke
PMID 40296206WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers preferred early intervention services in their home language.
Other preferences, including nearest clinic, home-based therapy, regular support, and lower costs, were not clear enough to rely on.
Key findings
01Caregivers preferred early hearing detection and intervention services provided in their home language, and language was the only attribute with statistically significant results.
02Preferences for diagnostic evaluation, aural habilitation and speech-language therapy, support services, and cost reduction were not statistically significant.
03Caregivers were reluctant to choose telehealth for diagnostic evaluation and therapy, but these preferences were not statistically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and purposive, with 31 of 40 caregivers completing the questionnaire, and it came only from early intervention preschools in Gauteng. Because Gauteng is urban and peri-urban, the findings may not reflect caregivers in rural South Africa or other provinces. Most preferences other than language were not statistically significant, so the rankings should be treated as exploratory. The questionnaire was online and in English, which may have excluded caregivers without internet or digital devices and may have favoured those comfortable with English. The study included only caregivers of children already enrolled in early intervention, not caregivers of children who were undiagnosed or had not accessed services. The conjoint attributes were predefined, so they may not have captured all concerns that influence caregiver choices.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and have nothing to report.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the ranking of nearest clinic, home-based therapy, regular support, or lower costs as proof that those models work. Only the language preference was statistically significant, and the other preferences had p values above 0.05.