School-age hearing screening outcomes: analysis of 24,258 students

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Pediatrics
• Public Health

Background:

• School-age hearing screenings are standard practice globally, often identifying higher hearing loss prevalence than newborn screenings.
• Low public awareness contributes to a significant gap between children reached and screened, highlighting the need for improved outreach.
• There's a recognized need to integrate preschool screening into national hearing health protocols in Turkiye.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the audiological profiles and hearing impairment prevalence in first-grade students in Üsküdar.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and benefits of implementing a school-age hearing screening protocol.
• To identify types of hearing loss (conductive vs. sensorineural) in diagnosed students.

Main Methods:

• Conducted hearing screenings using audiometry on 15,073 first-grade students with parental consent.
• Referred students who failed initial screening for advanced diagnostic evaluation, including pure-tone audiometry.
• Analyzed audiological profiles and confirmed hearing loss diagnoses in a subset of referred students.

Main Results:

• Out of 15,073 students screened, 794 (5.3%) failed and were referred for further evaluation.
• Only 358 (45.1%) of referred students completed advanced diagnostic assessments.
• Hearing loss was confirmed in 156 students (43.6% of those assessed), predominantly conductive (94.2%) and with a smaller proportion of sensorineural hearing loss (5.8%).

Conclusions:

• Approximately 3% of children fail screening, and 1 in 5 who fail are diagnosed with hearing loss.
• Early detection and treatment of hearing loss are vital, necessitating increased awareness, research, and family education.
• School-based hearing screenings are effective in identifying children with hearing impairments requiring further management.