Newborn Hearing Screening: Experience from a Tertiary level Hospital in Nepal

Abstract

Introduction

Congenital hearing loss is one of the commonest causes of hearing impairment and deafness in childhood. Early diagnosis and intervention in time help a child to lead a better life with good language and communication skills. Known risk factors include cytomegalovirus infection and premature birth necessitating a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. Universal newborn hearing screening has been implemented by many countries due to easy and non-invasive screening test and their ability to identify children who may need early intervention.

Methods:

All the newborns delivered between December 2018 to November 2020 were screened for congenital hearing loss. The average age at screening was more than 24 hours. Those who were referred in OAE (otoacoustic emissions testing) underwent ABR (auditory brainstem response) test and further workup as needed.

Conclusions: The incidence of congenital hearing loss was 1.8 per 1000 live births. This finding is consistent with other previous research. UNHS will be cost-effective easy and feasible method for early detection of hearing loss in newborns. Pediatric health services organizations should prioritize universal newborn hearing screening as a part of the standard of care in birthing services.