Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
[Universal newborn hearing screening. Methodical aspects]
S Hoth1, K Neumann, H Weissschuh
1Universitäts-HNO-Klinik Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg. sebastian.hoth@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
Background:
In order to prepare for the introduction of a universal newborn hearing screening program on a larger scale, TEOAE and ABR were recorded on automated screening instruments from both ears of 501 newborns at the University Hospital Heidelberg over a period of 13 months. The parents of children in whom OAE and ABR could not be detected in both ears, were requested to allow a complete exploration of the auditory status of the children at the department of pediatric audiology.
Subjects And Methods:
Internally available data networks were used for the acquisition and evaluation of data and for the organization of tracking and follow-up. Of the children 35% exhibited risk factors for congenital hearing impairment.
Results:
The pass rate was 98.7% for the exclusion of binaural and 91.6% for monaural hearing disorders (TEOAE or ABR detectable). On the basis of the data it can be shown how pass rates can be optimized by selecting a suitable moment for the examination and by prescribing a minimum number of test repetitions (3 for TEOAE and 2 for AABR).
Conclusion:
Quality control of screening programs should include these parameters and, in particular the number of repetitions of test measurements in all screening steps.
