Improving early audiological intervention via newborn hearing screening in Belgium

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Results in Northeastern of Iran from 2005 to 2019: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Hearing loss is one of the most common congenital disorders. The Early Diagnosis and Intervention Process is designed for the early diagnosis and intervention of hearing loss in infants. The present study aimed to examine the results of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) in northeastern Iran from 2005 to 2019.

Setting

Northeastern Iran.

Methods

In most cases, the two-stage protocol (otoacoustic emissions [OAE] and automated auditory brainstem response [AABR]) has been used. Infant assessment methods included the use of OAE, ABR, auditory steady-state response, high-frequency tympanometry, and behavioral audiometry. Interventions included medical interventions, hearing rehabilitation, hearing aids, and cochlear implants.

Results

1,162,821 infants were screened. The screening coverage increased from less than 1% in 2005 to about 99% in 2018. The referral rate has been about 1%. 2.17 out of every 1000 infants are hearing impaired, and the most common cases are bilateral hearing loss and mild to moderate hearing loss.

Conclusions

During 2005 to 2019 the coverage rate reached to more than 95% of live births. To improve the EHDI process in this population, better follow-up of diagnosed neonates and expansion of diagnostic and intervention services are needed.

Follow-up on children with suspected bilateral congenital hearing loss identified through universal newborn hearing screening program in Taiwan: A national-based population study

OBJECTIVE

This investigation was to ascertain the performance of the UNHS in Taiwan.

METHODS

The predefined questionnaire was delivered on the phone in 2016. The descriptive analysis was applied to the research data. 941 neonates in birth cohorts 2013-2014 who were documented as a bilateral referral in the national UNHS tracking system were targeted. The respondents were either caregivers or family members.

RESULTS

40.3% of 941 children were lost to follow-up, and 66.24% of 363 children were diagnosed with SNHL. 45.15% of 163 children used hearing amplification device(s). 77.46% of hearing amplification device users and 7.51% of non-users participated in the auditory training courses. By six months of age, 38.51% and 22.58% of children diagnosed with bilateral SNHL commenced the hearing amplification device fitting and the auditory training courses, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

More efforts are needed to enhance the performance of the UNHS to achieve national goals stated in the 2014 Taiwan UNHS Revised Guidelines and the well-known benchmarks set by the JCIH in 2007. The development of an electronic tracking system for storing and sharing information on the follow-up on children with congenital hearing loss was as significant as the improvements in the understanding of early hearing detection and intervention of the public and stakeholders.

Effectiveness of Neonatal Hearing Screening System: A 12-Year Single Centre Study in the Czech Republic

PURPOSE

The study aims to evaluate the number of examined newborns and the results of screening for twelve years (2008-2019) and to assess the effectiveness of the established system of neonatal hearing screening.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study was designed as a retrospective longitudinal data analysis. The data included all the children (19,043) born in the hospital and also children (74) transferred from other healthcare facilities. A total of 19,117 children were included in the research group.

RESULTS

In the first three years, a higher number of children did not pass the hearing screening, which was followed by a declining trend in the following years. After the first year of screening (2008), there was an improvement in diagnosis linked with a decrease in false-positive screening results (from 9.4% to 6.4%; p = 0.002). From 2008 to 2015, the ratio of children with positive screening to those with negative screening had a steady or declining trend.

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed a reduction in false-positive results after the first year of the screening program, probably due to improved care management and a gradual increase in the skills of the nurses performing the screening.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The cornerstones of neonatal hearing screening are a sufficient number of trained neonatology nurses, their mutual substitutability and the availability of a hearing screening device in the newborn ward every day. The results imply the importance of periodic evaluation of the obtained data, enabling early detection of possible deficiencies in the hearing screening system.

Value of Newborn Hearing Screening on Early Intervention in the Saudi Population and Review of International Records

Background

Hearing impairment is found to be the most prevalent disabling condition worldwide. Early diagnosis is crucial to avoid speech and language delays and to ensure the best performance results after cochlear implant (CI) surgery. Universal newborn hearing screening is a way to recognize newborns with a hearing impairment with or without risk factors. In this article, we have studied the effect of the newborn hearing screening program on early presentation to a healthcare center and, hence, early intervention in patients with congenital hearing loss, and reviewed the international numbers.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to determine whether neonatal hearing screening in Saudi Arabia helped prelingually deaf children to present earlier or not.

Design

Retrospective cross-sectional review

Setting

King Abdullah Ear Specialist Center (KAESC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Subjects and methods

We included all patients who presented to the CI committee for the first time at KAESC, between March 2016 and March 2018, and met the inclusion criteria. Data were retrieved through phone calls and patient files. The sample size was 242.

Main outcomes

The timing difference between those who were screened positive for hearing loss at birth versus patients who were screened negative or not screened at all.

Results

By far, patients who were screened positive for hearing loss presented earlier (p-value >0.001) to a healthcare center than those who were not screened at all or screened negative for hearing loss and they finished the journey to CI 17 months earlier than those who were not screened. On the other hand, those who were screened negative were not found to present later than those who were not screened.

Conclusion

Going with the international trend, screening was found to have a significant positive effect on age at presentation, diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, surgery, and, hence, performance after implantation. Testing false negative on screening did not show a significant further delay when compared to those who were not screened.

Multi-level barriers & priorities accorded by policy makers for Neonatal Hearing Screening (NHS) in Pakistan: A thematic analysis

Objectives:

To explore the Barriers and Priorities accorded to neo-natal hearing screening at government health policy level.

Methods:

This exploratory descriptive study design employed qualitative parameters with purposive sampling and was conducted at Capital Administration & Development Division (CADD) and Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (MoNHSR&C) from June 2015 to January 2017 over a period of 18 months. Sample included stakeholders concerned with healthcare planning and policy making in Pakistan. Research included in depth interviews using a self-structured interview guide from three policy makers’ fulfilling the selection criteria. Data recorded was transcribed and thematic analyses drawn manually and verified using two separate coders.

Results:

Outcomes from thematic analysis drawn were Planning, Funding, Governance, Awareness, Medical and technical capacity building, Policy development, Evaluation and Sustainability. Lack of financial resources allocation due to policies and legislation top the list of barriers. The lack of research and reliable data as to the number of persons suffering from hearing loss (HL) from birth and its economic cost to the state and individual remains a policy barrier.

Conclusion:

The barriers to NHS are lack of financial resource allocation by the federal government, and lack of research and reliable statistics about Hearing Impairment (HI) and its economic cost.