Main outcomes from the first 2 years of France's screening programme for neonatal permanent hearing loss through a descriptive study.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of France's neonatal hearing loss screening programme  years after its launch, and to estimate permanent bilateral neonatal hearing loss (PBNHL) prevalence and distribution by severity.
Methods: This descriptive study used aggregated regional data on all births in France in 2015-2016. Screening coverage, refusal rate, positive predictive value (PPV), proportion of children with suspected PBNHL, PBNHL prevalence and distribution by severity were calculated.
Results: Eight hundred thousand neonates were eligible for the screening programme per year. Between 2015 and 2016, screening coverage increased (83.3% vs. 93.8%; p < 0.001), and the refusal rate remained stable (0.1%). In 2016, when considering the additional tests performed several weeks after birth, the proportion of suspected PBNHL neonates decreased (1.4% vs. 0.9%) while the PPV increased (4.7% vs. 7.6%). In 2015, the estimated prevalence of PBNHL (moderate to profound) was 0.09% (95% CI 0.08-0.10). Among neonates with >= 41 decibels deficit, 56.8%, 16.6%, and 26.6% had moderate, severe and profound hearing loss, respectively.
Conclusion: The national target of 90% screening coverage was exceeded. The additional test could be useful to avoid overcrowding in diagnostic structures. Diagnostic data quality must be improved to confirm PBNHL prevalence and distribution by severity.
(© 2022 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.)