The Neonatal Hearing Screening Program in the Maltese Islands :  Shining a spotlight on a national pilot project

An established neonatal hearing screening program is a direct indicator of the health and security index of a country. Its importance has been emphasised by WHO since 1995 and is now an anticipated standard of care in the developed world. The aim is for this standard to become a globally unquestionable prerequisite for healthcare. This study casts a detailed look at the neonatal hearing screening pilot project within the Maltese Islands, which was thereafter planned to be implemented on a national level to safeguard the future generation, make available timely responses and put the nation on the global map of a high standard of healthcare. This pilot project studies the outcomes of the collected data. From a sample of 1877 neonates born between October 2020 and September 2021, it was found that the rate of incidence of neonatal hearing loss identified at screening was that of 5 neonates, equating to 0.3%. This was a statistic comparable to various other studies done in different countries. It is notable that whilst it is known that NICU neonates are at an increased risk of hearing loss, none of the affected neonates in the pilot project were from this subgroup of recruits. In conclusion, the pilot project produced good results and gained satisfactory departmental feedback. An established national screening program is now in operation.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Title: ScienceOpen Preprints

Publisher: ScienceOpen

Publication date (Electronic preprint): 1 April 2022

Affiliations

[1 ] Mater Dei Hospital, Malta

Author notes

[* ]Email: stephaniedebono72@ 123456gmail.com .

Author information

Stephanie De Bono https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2058-7139

Article

DOI: 10.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR-.PPH1DXC.v1

SO-VID: 6afd14bd-54e4-49cf-b3b1-c6b0c8221a3c

License:

This work has been published open access under Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0 , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Conditions, terms of use and publishing policy can be found at www.scienceopen.com .

History

Date received : 1 April 2022

Funding

none none

Data availability: The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

ScienceOpen disciplines: Medicine,Pediatrics,Audiology,Neonatology,Otolaryngology

Keywords: Neonatal,Hearing Loss,AABR,OAE,data,health

References

Ayas Muhammed, Yaseen Hakam. Emerging Data from a Newborn Hearing Screening Program in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Pediatrics. Vol. 2021:1–5. 2021. Hindawi Limited. [Cross Ref]
Bussé Andrea M. L., Hoeve Hans L. J., Nasserinejad Kazem, Mackey Allison R., Simonsz Huibert J., Goedegebure André. Prevalence of permanent neonatal hearing impairment: systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis. International Journal of Audiology. Vol. 59(6):475–485. 2020. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Ferlito Salvatore, Maniaci Antonino, Cocuzza Salvatore, La Mantia Ignazio, Di Mauro Paola, Poli Graziella, Maiolino Luigi, Coco Salvatore, Merlino Federico, Maltese Marina, Ragliani Margherita, Russo Michele, Gulino Alessandro, Azieli Carmen, Martines Francesco, Galletti Francesco, Bubbico Luciano. Universal newborn hearing screening in the Italian Region of Sicily in 2018. Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica. Vol. 41(4):356–363. 2021. Pacini Editore. [Cross Ref]
Kenna Margaret A. Neonatal hearing screening. Pediatric Clinics of North America. Vol. 50(2):301–313. 2003. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Kennedy C. Universal neonatal hearing screening moving from evidence to practice. Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition. Vol. 89(5)2004. BMJ. [Cross Ref]
Kosmidou Panagiota, Tzifas Sotiris, Lygeros Spyros, Danielides Gerasimos, Nikolopoulos Thomas, Dimitriou Gabriel, Angelis Stavros, Naxakis Stefanos. Newborn Hearing Screening: Analysing the Effectiveness of Early Detection of Neonatal Hearing Loss in a Hospital in Greece. Cureus. 2021. Cureus, Inc. [Cross Ref]
Ngui Ling Xiu, Tang Ing Ping, Prepageran Narayanan, Lai Zhun Wieng. Comparison of distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) for neonatal hearing screening in a hospital with high delivery rate. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Vol. 120:184–188. 2019. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Oudesluys-Murphy A. M., van Straaten H. L. M., Bholasingh R., van Zanten G. A.. Neonatal hearing screening. European Journal of Pediatrics. Vol. 155(6):429–435. 1996. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]
Papacharalampous George X., Nikolopoulos Thomas P., Davilis Dimitrios I., Xenellis Ioannis E., Korres Stavros G.. Universal newborn hearing screening, a revolutionary diagnosis of deafness: real benefits and limitations. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. Vol. 268(10):1399–1406. 2011. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]
Sabbagh Susan, Amiri Marzieh, Khorramizadeh Maryam, Iranpourmobarake Zahra, Nickbakht Mansoureh. Neonatal Hearing Screening: Prevalence of Unilateral and Bilateral Hearing Loss and Associated Risk Factors. Cureus. 2021. Cureus, Inc. [Cross Ref]
Sambah Ibtihal, Zhao Fei, El-Lishani Rashad. The Professional's experience with causes of delay in the diagnosis and management of children with a congenital hearing loss in Libya. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Vol. 128:2020. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Sato Teruyuki, Nakazawa Misao, Takahashi Shin, Mizuno Tomomi, Ishikawa Kazuo, Yamada Takechiyo. Outcomes of regional-based newborn hearing screening for 35,461 newborns for 5 years in Akita, Japan. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Vol. 131:2020. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Sequi-Canet Jose Miguel, Brines-Solanes Juan. Keypoints to Successful Newborn Hearing Screening. Thirty Years of Experience and Innovations. Healthcare. Vol. 9(11)2021. MDPI AG. [Cross Ref]
Turchetta Rosaria, Conti Guido, Marsella Pasquale, Orlando Maria Patrizia, Picciotti Pasqualina Maria, Frezza Simonetta, Russo Francesca Yoshie, Scorpecci Alessandro, Cammeresi Maria Gloria, Giannantonio Sara, Greco Antonio, Ralli Massimo. Universal newborn hearing screening in the Lazio region, Italy. Italian Journal of Pediatrics. Vol. 44(1)2018. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]
Uhlén Inger, Mackey Allison, Rosenhall Ulf. Prevalence of childhood hearing impairment in the County of Stockholm – a 40-year perspective from Sweden and other high-income countries. International Journal of Audiology. Vol. 59(11):866–873. 2020. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Ur Rehman M., Mando K., Rahmani A., Imran A., Ur Rehman, N., Gowda K., Chedid F.. Screening for neonatal hearing loss in the Eastern region of United Arab Emirates. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. Vol. 18(12):1254–1256. 2012. World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO). [Cross Ref]
Yoshinaga-Itano Christine. Early intervention after universal neonatal hearing screening: Impact on outcomes. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews. Vol. 9(4):252–266. 2003. Wiley. [Cross Ref]

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Ayas Muhammed, Yaseen Hakam. Emerging Data from a Newborn Hearing Screening Program in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Pediatrics. Vol. 2021:1–5. 2021. Hindawi Limited. [Cross Ref]

[2] Bussé Andrea M. L., Hoeve Hans L. J., Nasserinejad Kazem, Mackey Allison R., Simonsz Huibert J., Goedegebure André. Prevalence of permanent neonatal hearing impairment: systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis. International Journal of Audiology. Vol. 59(6):475–485. 2020. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[3] Ferlito Salvatore, Maniaci Antonino, Cocuzza Salvatore, La Mantia Ignazio, Di Mauro Paola, Poli Graziella, Maiolino Luigi, Coco Salvatore, Merlino Federico, Maltese Marina, Ragliani Margherita, Russo Michele, Gulino Alessandro, Azieli Carmen, Martines Francesco, Galletti Francesco, Bubbico Luciano. Universal newborn hearing screening in the Italian Region of Sicily in 2018. Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica. Vol. 41(4):356–363. 2021. Pacini Editore. [Cross Ref]

[4] Kenna Margaret A. Neonatal hearing screening. Pediatric Clinics of North America. Vol. 50(2):301–313. 2003. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[5] Kennedy C. Universal neonatal hearing screening moving from evidence to practice. Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition. Vol. 89(5)2004. BMJ. [Cross Ref]

[6] Kosmidou Panagiota, Tzifas Sotiris, Lygeros Spyros, Danielides Gerasimos, Nikolopoulos Thomas, Dimitriou Gabriel, Angelis Stavros, Naxakis Stefanos. Newborn Hearing Screening: Analysing the Effectiveness of Early Detection of Neonatal Hearing Loss in a Hospital in Greece. Cureus. 2021. Cureus, Inc. [Cross Ref]

[7] Ngui Ling Xiu, Tang Ing Ping, Prepageran Narayanan, Lai Zhun Wieng. Comparison of distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) for neonatal hearing screening in a hospital with high delivery rate. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Vol. 120:184–188. 2019. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[8] Oudesluys-Murphy A. M., van Straaten H. L. M., Bholasingh R., van Zanten G. A.. Neonatal hearing screening. European Journal of Pediatrics. Vol. 155(6):429–435. 1996. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[9] Papacharalampous George X., Nikolopoulos Thomas P., Davilis Dimitrios I., Xenellis Ioannis E., Korres Stavros G.. Universal newborn hearing screening, a revolutionary diagnosis of deafness: real benefits and limitations. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. Vol. 268(10):1399–1406. 2011. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[10] Sabbagh Susan, Amiri Marzieh, Khorramizadeh Maryam, Iranpourmobarake Zahra, Nickbakht Mansoureh. Neonatal Hearing Screening: Prevalence of Unilateral and Bilateral Hearing Loss and Associated Risk Factors. Cureus. 2021. Cureus, Inc. [Cross Ref]

[11] Sambah Ibtihal, Zhao Fei, El-Lishani Rashad. The Professional's experience with causes of delay in the diagnosis and management of children with a congenital hearing loss in Libya. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Vol. 128:2020. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[12] Sato Teruyuki, Nakazawa Misao, Takahashi Shin, Mizuno Tomomi, Ishikawa Kazuo, Yamada Takechiyo. Outcomes of regional-based newborn hearing screening for 35,461 newborns for 5 years in Akita, Japan. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Vol. 131:2020. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[13] Sequi-Canet Jose Miguel, Brines-Solanes Juan. Keypoints to Successful Newborn Hearing Screening. Thirty Years of Experience and Innovations. Healthcare. Vol. 9(11)2021. MDPI AG. [Cross Ref]

[14] Turchetta Rosaria, Conti Guido, Marsella Pasquale, Orlando Maria Patrizia, Picciotti Pasqualina Maria, Frezza Simonetta, Russo Francesca Yoshie, Scorpecci Alessandro, Cammeresi Maria Gloria, Giannantonio Sara, Greco Antonio, Ralli Massimo. Universal newborn hearing screening in the Lazio region, Italy. Italian Journal of Pediatrics. Vol. 44(1)2018. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[15] Uhlén Inger, Mackey Allison, Rosenhall Ulf. Prevalence of childhood hearing impairment in the County of Stockholm – a 40-year perspective from Sweden and other high-income countries. International Journal of Audiology. Vol. 59(11):866–873. 2020. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[16] Ur Rehman M., Mando K., Rahmani A., Imran A., Ur Rehman, N., Gowda K., Chedid F.. Screening for neonatal hearing loss in the Eastern region of United Arab Emirates. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. Vol. 18(12):1254–1256. 2012. World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO). [Cross Ref]

[17] Yoshinaga-Itano Christine. Early intervention after universal neonatal hearing screening: Impact on outcomes. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews. Vol. 9(4):252–266. 2003. Wiley. [Cross Ref]