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. 2015 Jun;54(6):353-8.
doi: 10.3109/14992027.2014.989548. Epub 2015 Mar 13.

Performance and characteristics of the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme in England: The first seven years

Sally A Wood  1 , Graham J Sutton, Adrian C Davis
Affiliations

Performance and characteristics of the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme in England: The first seven years

Sally A Wood et al. Int J Audiol. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the performance of the universal newborn hearing screen in England.

Design: Retrospective analysis of population screening records.

Study sample: A total of 4 645 823 children born 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2013.

Results: 97.5% of the eligible population complete screening by 4/5 weeks of age and 98.9% complete screening by three months of age. The refer rate for the 12/13 birth cohort is 2.6%. The percentage of screen positive (i.e. referred) babies commencing follow up by four weeks of age and six months of age is 82.5% and 95.8% respectively. The yield of bilateral PCHL from the screen is around 1/1000. For bilateral PCHL in the 12/13 birth cohort the median age is nine days at screen completion, 30 days at entry into follow up, 49 days at confirmation, 50 days at referral to early intervention, and 82 days at hearing-aid fitting.

Conclusion: The performance of the newborn hearing screening programme has improved continuously. The yield of bilateral PCHL from the screen is about 1/1000 as expected. The age of identification and management is well within the first six months of life, although there remains scope for further improvement with respect to timely entry into follow up.

Keywords: Newborn hearing screening; coverage; follow up; permanent childhood hearing loss; positive predictive value; refer rate; yield.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Screen coverage by 4/5 weeks of age and by three months of age.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Screen refer rates (with 95% CIs) for NICU, well babies, and all babies.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Percentage of referred babies entering follow-up within four weeks of screen completion/by 44 weeks GA, and by six months of age.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Yield (with 95% CI) of bilateral PCHL in well, NICU, and all babies.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.. Median age (with 95% CI) at screening (N = 4768), first assessment (N = 4768), confirmation (N = 4737), referral to early intervention (N = 4633), and hearing-aid fitting (N = 4090).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Bamford J., Ankjell H., Crockett R., Marteau T., McCracken W, et al. Evaluation of the newborn hearing screening programme in England: Studies, results, and recommendations. Report to Department of Health and National Screening Committee 2005
    1. Barker M.J., Hughes E.J., Wake M. NICU-only versus universal screening for newborn hearing loss: Population audit. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2012;49:E74–E79. - PubMed
    1. British Society of Audiology Descriptors for pure tone audiograms. Br J Audiol. 1988;22:123.
    1. Ching T.Y.C., Oong R., van Wanrooy E. The ages of intervention in regions with and without universal newborn hearing screening and prevalence of childhood hearing impairment in Australia. Aus New Zeal J Audiol. 2006;28:137–150.

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