Sandra Shearme RN, MN
Windsor Regional Hospital
Windsor, ON
Rose Grant-Rennie MA, SLP, Reg Caslpo
Windsor Regional Hospital
Windsor, ON
Although sedated ABR’s are a small percentage of what an Audiology Department does, they can be a very stressful experience for a mentally impaired child and their family. Historically, ABR’s were performed in the Operating Room (OR) or Audiology suite. A nurse or Doctor was not readily available. Scheduling of the test was dependent on available OR times, often resulting in a delay or cancellation of the test. The interference of the equipment in the OR often played havoc with the Audiology equipment resulting in 50% of the test results being unreliable. In 2004, Windsor Regional Hospital broke tradition and started to perform these tests in the outpatient Pediatric department. This has resulted in: 1. improved access to the test, 2. decreased wait times, 3. opened up OR time, 4. improved multidisciplinary team approach, and 5. 100% reliable test results.