Outcome of screening for hearing impairment in the newborn – a hospital-based study

Loss of hearing is a non-visible disability (NVD) and the second most common congenital pathology. Apart from hearing loss, further disability in these domains has been reported like development of language, speech, cognition, and other evolving domains. These can be prevented by early identification and intervention. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of neonatal hearing screening programs in hospitals.

This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Paediatrics and Neonatology. The records of 426 newborns who underwent hearing screening from Jan 2020 to Jan 2021 were analyzed. All healthy newborns underwent first screening between 48-72 hours with transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) test, and babies admitted to NICU were screened once the condition stabilized. OAE and brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA) results were considered outcome variables. The results of the OAE and BERA were expressed as passed or failed (referred). The coGuide software, V.1.03 was used for statistical analysis.

Totally, 221 out of 426 (51.88%) neonates were males, and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) babies' proportion was 381 out of 426 (89.44%) cases. Among the 37 preterm deliveries, 31(86.11%) were delivered during 34-37 weeks. Out of 426 neonates, 28(6.57%) had some risk factors. OAE-1 was referred in 30 neonates (7.04%), OAE-2 was referred in 10% (3 out of 30) and BERA was referred in 33.33% (1 out of 3).

The frequency of hearing loss among screened babies confirmed by BERA was 0.23% (1 out of 426). Neonatal hearing screening in hospitals can aid in the early diagnosis of hearing impairment thereby enabling appropriate and timely intervention.