Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), has launched a new initiative that’s helping shorten wait times and give families information about their child’s hearing sooner than ever before.
The Pediatric “Audiology Blitz” initiative has shortened the average wait time from approximately 12 to 15 months to four months and has increased the number of completed assessments by 30 to 40 per cent.
“We were seeing very long wait times for pediatric audiology assessments, particularly for preschool-aged children,” said Emily Rosen, an audiologist with KHSC’s Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. “We recognized that we needed to look at a different way of organizing our resources so that we could assess more children in a timely manner, while still maintaining the quality of the assessments.”
The project was recognized at last year’s KHSC Quality Improvement Showcase after the audiology team identified long wait times for pediatric assessments, particularly among preschool-aged children.
The team developed dedicated full-day pediatric audiology clinics, known as Audiology Blitz days, allowing audiologists and audiology technicians work together to complete different components of assessments efficiently.
The clinics focus on children, four years old and younger, including children who may require more complex testing because of developmental delays, autism, speech and language needs or who have other hearing concerns.
“It was essentially about reorganizing our existing resources around the needs of these patients,” Rosen said.
The initiative has continued well beyond the initial quality improvement project. Audiology Blitz days are now held every one or two months, with the next scheduled for Oct. 23.
“The change in wait times has been quite significant,” Rosen said. “We're now looking at how we can refine the process.”
Reducing the wait can also help families and health-care providers make decisions about a child’s care sooner.
“Hearing is an important part of a child's ability to develop speech, language, communication, and other skills,” Rosen said. “When there is a concern about hearing, having that information as early as possible allows families and professionals to better understand the child's needs and determine whether further support is required.”
Parents have also provided positive feedback about the Audiology Blitz days.
“For children with complex needs, their parents are often wary of how ‘successful’ the assessment will be,” Rosen said. “They are often pleasantly surprised by how smoothly these clinics run. We pull out all the stops – bubbles, stickers, toys and even Miss Rachel!”
Geneviève Digby, KHSC’s medical director of Patient Safety, Quality and Clinical Risk, said the project demonstrated a clear problem, defined aim, improvement methods, measurable results and lessons learned, all key requirements of a quality improvement initiative.
“The QI Showcase celebrates improvement work across KHSC and provides an opportunity for teams to share successes, challenges, and lessons learned. By connecting teams and showcasing innovative practices, it promotes collaboration, spreads ideas, and strengthens our culture of continuous quality improvement.”
The next QI Showcase will take place during Canadian Patient Safety Week Oct. 26–30, 2026.
For Rosen, the lasting impact of the Audiology Blitz Days is one of the project’s most significant outcomes.
“I'm most proud that we were able to take a significant wait time and make a measurable improvement in access for children and families, while also creating a model that has continued beyond the initial QI project,” she said.
