Question
On the day of discharge, the nurse informed us that the baby needed a hearing test, and later notified us that the baby’s hearing screening did not pass. This news caused great concern and anxiety for the parents. What should parents do when a newborn’s hearing screening result is not successful?
Answer
A newborn failing the hearing screening indicates that the baby may have hearing issues. However, a failure in the initial or follow-up screening does not necessarily mean the baby has hearing problems. There are various factors that can cause a failure in the initial or follow-up screening, including but not limited to: 1. The baby’s external auditory canal contains fetal fat, amniotic fluid, or secretions; 2. Effusion in the middle ear cavity; 3. The baby was restless or moved during the hearing test; 4. The surrounding environment was too noisy at the time; 5. Damage to the hair cells in the baby’s ear canal; 6. The baby…