Question
How to handle newborn hearing screening?
Answer
To conduct an effective hearing screening, it should be completed before the newborn is discharged. If the screening test is conducted after the newborn is discharged, it is usually difficult to find a quiet testing environment and a calm state of the baby. Newborns who fail the initial screening should undergo a hearing re-screening within 4-6 weeks. Re-screening is very important for hearing screening, as it helps reduce the rate of false positives. It also provides timely hearing diagnosis and intervention for newborns with hearing loss. If the screening object is listed as a newborn or infant with high risk factors for hearing loss, only 50% of newborns or infants with hearing loss will be screened. Therefore, the screening object should be conducted for all newborns or infants.