Universal newborn hearing screening: fine-tuning the process

Abstract

Hearing screening is only the first step in the care of a hearing-impaired infant. Programs need to ensure that families understand the necessity of follow-up testing without creating undue stress. The transition to early intervention should be seamless, with a cohesive team of health care professionals capable of providing medical, audiologic, communication, and educational management for the infant as well as emotional support for the family.

Comitê multiprofissional em saúde auditiva: COMUSA

“…Therefore, neonates with hearing loss should be identified within the first month of life, even if the clinical history reveals no indicators of risk for the probability of hearing loss. 2,3,6,7,35 The central nervous system is very plastic when stimulated early, before 12 months of age, which increases the number of nerve connections and improves the results of auditory rehabilitation and language development in children with hearing loss. 6,8,9,10 The first six months are decisive for future development; for this reason, speech therapists, otorhinolaryngologists and pediatricians have been concerned with promoting awareness campaigns for the population and for healthcare professionals about the importance of early identification and diagnosis of hearing loss and prompt medical and phonoaudiological interventions.…”

“…UNAS is here understood as performing auditory tests in over 95% of neonates, preferably before being discharged from hospital. 7 In developed countries, sensorineural hearing loss affects one in every 1,000 newborns; 40% are due to hereditary factors, 30% are due to a variety of acquired conditions, and 20% are of unknown etiology. 15 There have been few population base studies of neonates in Brazil.…”

Triagem auditiva neonatal: aplicabilidade clínica na rotina dos médicos pediatras neonatologistas

“…Devido à grande plasticidade neuronal existente, o diagnóstico da defi ciência auditiva (DA) é extremante importante nos primeiros seis meses de vida, pois este período é considerado como crítico e ideal ■ para a estimulação e desenvolvimento das habilidades auditivas e de linguagem [2][3][4] . Repercussões emocionais, educacionais e sociais podem ocorrer quando não detectada a DA e não iniciada a intervenção adequada nesse período [5][6][7][8] . A identifi cação tardia irá repercutir drasticamente na capacidade de comunicação das crianças, pois as impossibilitará de receber o tratamento adequado em período oportuno 9 .…”

Investigação etiológica da deficiência auditiva em neonatos identificados em um programa de triagem auditiva neonatal universal

“…The implementation of Universal Newborn Screening (UNHS) Programs is a way to enable early diagnosis of hearing impairments, and its purpose is to minimize the negative effects that this disorder may bring to the child's life [1][2][3] . The earlier a diagnosis of hearing impairments is obtained, followed by the adaptation of sound amplification devices and by auditory (re) habilitation, the better the results in these children's auditory and language development, since plasticity in the central nervous system is greater during the first year of life 3,4 .…”

“…Investigação etiológica da deficiência auditiva em neonatos identificados em um programa de triagem auditiva neonatal universal Tânia Pereira (1) , Kátia Cristina Costa (2) , Mariza Cavenaghi Argentino Pomilio (3) , Sueli Matilde da Silva Costa (4) , Gabriela Ribeiro Ivo Rodrigues (5) , Edi Lúcia Sartorato (6) program conducted in a public hospital in the city of Jundiaí -São Paulo, in the period between August 2003 and December 2006 were included in the study. The children who had unsatisfactory result (fail) in the UNHS and that for any reason did not conclude the audiologic diagnosis process were excluded from the sample.…”