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. 2021 Nov 2;10(21):5152.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10215152.

Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention in Children with Unilateral Hearing Impairment: Clinical Practices in Three Nordic Countries

Nina Jakhelln Laugen  1 , Elsa Erixon  2 , Kerttu Huttunen  3   4   5 , Elina Mäki-Torkko  6   7 , Ulrika Löfkvist  8   9
Affiliations

Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention in Children with Unilateral Hearing Impairment: Clinical Practices in Three Nordic Countries

Nina Jakhelln Laugen et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Studies have limitedly considered children with early-identified unilateral hearing impairment (UHI), and clinical practices regarding screening, diagnostics and habilitation in this group are rarely documented. In this study, routines for newborns with UHI from screening to diagnostics and habilitation were explored in Norway, Sweden and Finland. An online survey was sent to hospitals responsible for the hearing diagnostics of children requesting information about their practices regarding congenital UHI. Responses covered 95% of the children born in the three included countries. The results revealed large variations in ways of organising healthcare and in clinical decisions regarding hearing screening, diagnostics and habilitation of children with congenital UHI. Finally, implications for policy making and research are also discussed.

Keywords: early intervention; family-centred intervention; follow-up; habilitation; healthcare inequality; hearing screening; single-sided deafness; unilateral hearing loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Questions and case vignettes presented in the survey.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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