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Outcome of a newborn hearing screening program in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia: the first five years
Amirozi Ahmad1, Irfan Mohamad, Suzana Mansor
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Insights
Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) achieved 98% coverage in its first five years. Early detection of hearing impairment in infants is crucial for development, despite a low prevalence of 0.09%.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Public Health
- Neonatal Care
Background:
- Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) was implemented at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in January 2003.
- The program aimed to meet international standards for early hearing loss detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the outcomes of the UNHS program at HUSM during its initial five years (January 2003 - December 2007).
- To analyze screening coverage, hearing impairment prevalence, referral rates, and age at diagnosis and intervention.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of screening data for all infants born at HUSM.
- Analysis included screening coverage, prevalence of hearing impairment, referral rates, and age at detection and hearing aid fitting.
Main Results:
- Screening coverage reached 98% of newborns.
- The prevalence of hearing impairment was 0.09%, with a 25.5% initial referral rate.
- Mean age at detection was 3.3 months, and mean age for hearing aid fitting was 13.6 months.
Conclusions:
- Newborn hearing screening is vital for early diagnosis and intervention in infants.
- Addressing hearing impairment early is essential for optimal infant development, even with low prevalence rates.
Background And Objective:
Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) was started in the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in January 2003. To comply with international standards, we determined the outcome of the newborn hearing screening program for the first 5 years of its implementation, from January 2003 to December 2007.
Methods:
The program screened all infants who were delivered in HUSM. In a retrospective review, the outcomes in terms of coverage, prevalence of hearing impairment, referral rate for each screening, age at detection of hearing impairment and at hearing aid-fitting were analyzed.
Results:
Ninety-eight percent of newborns were screened. The study included 16,100 randomly selected newborns. The initial screening referral rate was 25.5%. The prevalence of default for second and third screening was 33.9% and 40.7%, respectively. The mean (SD) age at detection of hearing impairment was 3.3 months (0.86). The mean (SD) age at fitting of a hearing aid was 13.6 (4.8) months.The prevalence of hearing impairment was 0.09%.
Conclusion:
A newborn hearing screening program is an important tool for early diagnosis and treatment. Even though the prevalence of hearing impairment may be low, the problem needs to be addressed early as the development of infants requires normal hearing.
