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[Results of screening for hearing disorders using the Ewing test]
1Akademisch Ziekenhuis Sint-Jan, Brugge.
Insights
Early hearing defect screening in infants is crucial for rehabilitation. In Belgium, well-baby clinics successfully screen 60% of 9-month-olds using the Ewing-test, identifying many middle ear issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Public health initiatives
- Early childhood development
Context:
- Late developments highlight the urgent need for early intervention in deaf children.
- Mass population screening is a key strategy for identifying hearing defects.
- Belgium's established well-baby clinics offer a platform for infant screening programs.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of mass screening for early detection of hearing impairments in infants.
- To assess the utilization of well-baby clinics for audiological screening.
- To determine the sensitivity of the Ewing-test in identifying hearing defects.
Summary:
- The Ewing-test was implemented in Belgian well-baby clinics, screening approximately 60% of 9-month-old infants between 1984-1986.
- Children with two failed screenings were referred to family doctors, leading to diagnostic examinations for about 1% of tested infants.
- A significant number of middle ear problems were identified, although not the primary target of the screening.
Impact:
- The screening program successfully identified children with middle ear problems, bringing them under medical observation.
- No cases of deaf children were found who did not fail the Ewing-test, suggesting good sensitivity.
- The study supports the integration of audiological screening into routine pediatric care for early detection and management of hearing loss.
Abstract:
Late developments support that deaf children have an urgent need for rehabilitation and hence for early search for hearing defects. One of the modalities to achieve this goal is mass screening of populations. In Belgium the long established well-baby-clinics provide a commodity for these programs. As most infants attend regularly these clinics, it was evident to perform here the testing procedure. The Ewing-test was chosen as the tool for the screening. We started about 1980. In this discussion the statistics from 1984 to 1986 from one province (West-Vlaanderen) are used. It appeared that approximately 60% of the 9-month old children are screened. After two failures these children are referred to their family doctor. About 1% of the children tested have a diagnostic examination. In this group we found a lot of children with middle ear problems. Although the screening was not set up to detect these children, we think it is useful that they come under medical control. A special program was started to see if the sensitivity of the test was good. Till now we could not find any case of a deaf child that did not fail the Ewing-test.