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Newborn hearing screening in Eastern Saudi Arabia: A tertiary hospital experience.
- Source :
-
Saudi medical journal [Saudi Med J] 2024 Aug; Vol. 45 (9), pp. 952-958. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Objectives: To analyze the performance of a leading institution in implementing newborn hearing screening and address two key areas: the knowledge gap in screening practice and the prevalence of permanent sensorineural hearing loss in Saudi Arabia.<br />Methods: We analyzed the prevalence of hearing impairment in all live births at King Fahad Hospital of the University, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, from September 2018 to June 2022. Automated auditory brainstem response was used for both initial screening and rescreening. Newborns who failed the rescreening underwent a diagnostic evaluation. We assessed the coverage of initial screening, the rate of lost follow-up, referrals for rescreening and diagnostic evaluation, and the prevalence of hearing impairment.<br />Results: A total of 5,986 newborns were born. Of these, 96.5% were screened. The passing rate for the initial screening and rescreening was 71.8%. However, 27.5% of newborns were lost to follow-up. Only 0.7% required referral for a diagnostic evaluation. The overall prevalence of hearing impairment was 2.6 per 1,000 newborns.<br />Conclusion: Early identification of hearing loss through newborn screening improves the lives of affected individuals. Our program currently meets the World Health Organization's 1-3-6 benchmark goals. However, the underestimation of permanent hearing loss due to the 30% lost-to-follow-up rate is a limitation. Emphasizing the importance of the screening program is crucial to raising awareness and improving the accuracy of prevalence rates.<br /> (Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.)
- Subjects :
- Humans
Saudi Arabia epidemiology
Infant, Newborn
Prevalence
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural epidemiology
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural diagnosis
Female
Hearing Loss epidemiology
Hearing Loss diagnosis
Referral and Consultation statistics & numerical data
Male
Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem
Neonatal Screening methods
Tertiary Care Centers
Hearing Tests
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1658-3175
- Volume :
- 45
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Saudi medical journal
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 39218468
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2024.45.9.20240365