Identifying Children With Hearing Loss: The Key Role of School Nurses in Evidence-Based Screenings.

Undetected hearing loss in school-aged children can impact academic and social functioning and have a life-long impact on the student. The prevalence of hearing loss increases as children reach school age, which highlights the importance of regular, evidence-based hearing screening. This article identifies the barriers to screening that school nurses may face, reviews the two evidence-based methods for childhood hearing screening, and reinforces the need for school nurses to conduct and advocate for regular hearing screening for all students.

Using otoacoustic emissions to screen young children for hearing loss in primary care settings.

Objectives: Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) technology, used widely in newborn hearing screening programs and validated by professional organizations as a reliable and objective tool, is beginning to be recognized as superior to subjective methods when screening young children in a variety of settings. This study examines the efficacy of integrating OAE hearing screening into services routinely provided in health care settings.

Methods: Three federally funded clinics serving low-income and uninsured people in a metropolitan area participated in the 10-month study.

Using otoacoustic emissions to screen for hearing loss in early childhood care settings.

Objective: Until recently, no objective tool has been available to help health and early childhood education providers screen young children for hearing loss. The aim of this study was to screen underserved children
Methods: A total of 4,519 children, View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Primary care physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to newborn hearing screening.

Objective: Universal newborn hearing screening focuses on providing the earliest possible diagnosis for infants with permanent hearing loss. The goal is to prevent or minimize the consequences of sensorineural hearing loss on speech and language development through timely and effective diagnosis and interventions. Pediatricians are in a key position to educate families about the importance of follow-up, if they are well informed.

Strategies for Educating Physicians about Newborn Hearing Screening.

The benefits associated with universal Newborn Hearing Screening (NHS) are most likely to be achieved when screening is linked to timely and effective interventions. Well-informed primary care physicians (PCPs) are in a key position to educate families about the importance and most effective ways of following-up for infants who do not pass the NHS test. Unfortunately, little information has been systematically collected to document physicians' current knowledge and needs, nor the methods for addressing them.