Newborn Hearing Screening in Québec, Canada
Gabriel Trottenberg1, W Robert J Funnell2,3,4, Hamid Motallebzadeh2,5
1Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
American Journal of Audiology
|November 21, 2023
Summary
Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) programs face challenges in implementation, including IT issues and public awareness. Québec
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Audiology
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Congenital hearing loss affects newborns, necessitating early detection.
- Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) offers significant benefits for early intervention.
- Despite global adoption, UNHS program implementation varies across regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the history and current status of UNHS in Québec.
- To identify general challenges in establishing universal newborn hearing screening programs.
- To assess the effectiveness and limitations of UNHS.
Main Methods:
- Review of statistics on congenital hearing loss occurrence and effects.
- Analysis of financial reports, regulations, and publications related to UNHS.
- Interviews with healthcare staff and program managers involved in UNHS.
Main Results:
- UNHS programs are beneficial and cost-effective globally.
- Québec shows progress but nearly half of newborns remain unscreened.
- Low screening rates in Québec are attributed to implementation delays, IT issues, costs, and low public awareness.
Conclusions:
- Understanding challenges is crucial for timely UNHS implementation.
- Québec's experience offers valuable lessons for other healthcare systems establishing UNHS programs.
