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Performance and characteristics of the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme in England: The first seven years
Sally A Wood1, Graham J Sutton, Adrian C Davis
1* NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme, Public Health England , London , UK.
Insights
England's universal newborn hearing screen shows improved performance, identifying about 1 in 1000 babies with bilateral permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL). While management is within six months, timely follow-up needs enhancement.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Audiology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- The universal newborn hearing screen (UNHS) is crucial for early detection of hearing loss in infants.
- Effective screening and timely intervention significantly improve developmental outcomes for children with hearing impairment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the universal newborn hearing screening program in England.
- To assess key performance indicators including screening completion rates, referral rates, and age at diagnosis and intervention.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of population-based screening records.
- Inclusion of data from 4,645,823 children born between April 2004 and March 2013.
- Analysis of screening completion, referral, follow-up, and intervention timelines.
Main Results:
- Screening completion rates reached 97.5% by 4-5 weeks and 98.9% by three months.
- The yield for bilateral permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL) was approximately 1 in 1000.
- Median age for hearing aid fitting was 82 days, with 95.8% of referred babies commencing follow-up by six months.
Conclusions:
- The newborn hearing screening program in England demonstrates continuous performance improvement.
- The yield of PCHL aligns with expected rates, and identification/management occurs within the first six months.
- Opportunities exist to further optimize the timeliness of entry into follow-up services.
Objective:
To assess the performance of the universal newborn hearing screen in England.
Design:
Retrospective analysis of population screening records.
Study Sample:
A total of 4 645 823 children born 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2013.
Results:
97.5% of the eligible population complete screening by 4/5 weeks of age and 98.9% complete screening by three months of age. The refer rate for the 12/13 birth cohort is 2.6%. The percentage of screen positive (i.e. referred) babies commencing follow up by four weeks of age and six months of age is 82.5% and 95.8% respectively. The yield of bilateral PCHL from the screen is around 1/1000. For bilateral PCHL in the 12/13 birth cohort the median age is nine days at screen completion, 30 days at entry into follow up, 49 days at confirmation, 50 days at referral to early intervention, and 82 days at hearing-aid fitting.
Conclusion:
The performance of the newborn hearing screening programme has improved continuously. The yield of bilateral PCHL from the screen is about 1/1000 as expected. The age of identification and management is well within the first six months of life, although there remains scope for further improvement with respect to timely entry into follow up.
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