• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2007

Hearing loss in newborns is the most frequently occurring birth defect. If hearing impaired children are not identified and managed early, it is difficult for many of them to acquire the fundamental language, social and cognitive skills that provide the foundation for later schooling and success in society. All newborns, both high and low risk, should be screened for hearing loss in the birth hospital prior discharge (Universal Newborn Heaing Screening, UNHS). Objective physiologic measures must be used to detect newborns and very young infants with hearing loss. Recent technological developments have produced screening methods and both evoked otoacoustic emission (EOAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) have been successfully implemented for UNHS. Audiologic evaluation should be carried out before 3 months of age and infants with confirmed hearing loss should receive intervention before 6 months of age. All infants who pass newborn hearing screening but who have risk indicators for other auditory disorders and/or speech and language delay receive ongoing audiologic surveillance and monitoring for communication development. Infants with sensorineural hearing loss are managed with hearing aids and receive auditory and speech-language rehabilitation therapies. Cochlear implants can be an outstanding option for certain children aged 12 months and older with severe to profound hearing loss who show limited benefit from conventional amplifications.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

The aimed of the study was to investigate the referral rate of hearing screening for girls and boys senior high school in Gyeongsan and to consider the need for hearing screening. 359-girl and 205-boy were participated. Hearing screening was conducted tympanogram, automated otoacoustic emission(AOAE). Final referral rate was observed 9 girl (2.5%) and 19 boy (9.268%), respectively. There was no differences between boys and girls in tympanogram and AOAE. In conclusion, hearing screening for senior high school students needs to conduct tympanometry in order to screen hearing loss which is difficult to check through pure tone screening regardless of development of the Eustachian tube, and we need to make an effort to lower the false positive results.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2017

It is difficult to detect the adult hearing loss after the language acquisition because of its slow progression, which can be evaluated voluntarily and actively when the appropriate tools are provided. Smartphones are one of useful tools, and they can utilize surveys and/or applications for hearing screening. This study aims to verify the possibility as a tool discovering delayed acquired hearing losses by comparing the pure tone screening application (app_PTS) which was recently developed by our research team and hearing handciap inventory (HHI). The subjects were 22 people whose age ranges from 10s to 80s. For pure tone averages (PTAs), hearing threshold level was selected the best one in same frequency, in both ears. Sensitivity and specificity of HHI were confirmed based on self awareness of hearing loss and PTAs at 1, 2, 4 kHz. Comparisons of two tests were measured by analyzing simple regression of correlation between PTAs of App_PTS and HHI scores. Sensitivity and specificity were 1.000 in both criteria. There was a statistically significant relationship between the PTAs_4 kHz and HHI (R-square = .951, p = .000). Hearing screening by questionnaire showed high correlation with smart phones based on application. Therefore, it can be useful as a hearing screening tool for individual life cycle using an user-friendly tool.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.11
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• pp.353-358
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• 2017

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a simple screening tool to assess hearing loss in newborns. A derived score was compared with the standard clinical practice tool. Methods: This cohort study was designed to screen the hearing of newborns using transiently evoked otoacoustic emission and auditory brain stem response, and to determine the risk factors associated with hearing loss of newborns in 3 tertiary hospitals in Northern Thailand. Data were prospectively collected from November 1, 2010 to May 31, 2012. To develop the risk score, clinical-risk indicators were measured by Poisson risk regression. The regression coefficients were transformed into item scores dividing each regression-coefficient with the smallest coefficient in the model, rounding the number to its nearest integer, and adding up to a total score. Results: Five clinical risk factors (Craniofacial anomaly, Ototoxicity, Birth weight, family history [Relative] of congenital sensorineural hearing loss, and Apgar score) were included in our COBRA score. The screening tool detected, by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, more than 80% of existing hearing loss. The positive-likelihood ratio of hearing loss in patients with scores of 4, 6, and 8 were 25.21 (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.69-43.26), 58.52 (95% CI, 36.26-94.44), and 51.56 (95% CI, 33.74-78.82), respectively. This result was similar to the standard tool (The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing) of 26.72 (95% CI, 20.59-34.66). Conclusion: A simple screening tool of five predictors provides good prediction indices for newborn hearing loss, which may motivate parents to bring children for further appropriate testing and investigations.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.51-59
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• 2009

This study was designed to investigate the effects of neonatal hearing screening program (NHSP) information on parental satisfaction with the Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire with Neonatal Hearing Screening Program (PSQ-NHSP) by Mazlan et al. (2006). The PSQ-NHSP consisted of four aspects including: information, personnel in charge of the hearing test, appointment activity, and overall satisfaction in the neonatal hearing screening program. A total of 106 parents (50 in the experimental group and 56 in the control group) participated in this study in one general hospital and two delivery clinics. The fifty parents in the experimental group received information and counseling with educational materials before filling out the PSQ-NHSP, but the fifty-six parents in the control group did not receive any counseling or education materials before completing the PSQ-NHSP. The PSQ-NHSP demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability (${\sigma}=0.914$). The results of the study were as follows. First, the overall satisfaction ($3.77{\pm}0.81$) and personnel in charge of hearing test ($3.52{\pm}0.79$) aspects showed higher rates of satisfaction than the appointment activity aspect ($3.51{\pm}0.80$) for total subjects. Second, the overall parental satisfaction rate of the experimental group ($4.15{\pm}0.50$) was significantly higher than that of the control group ($3.09{\pm}0.53$) in all items. Lastly, thirty-two participants (30%) made at least one comment in response to the open-set items. A total of 29 comments were related to satisfaction with participating in the NHSP and II comments were related to dissatisfaction. In conclusion, to improve parental satisfaction it is important to provide parents with education and information about the NHSP before the test. In addition, PSQ-NHSP was found to be a useful instrument for identifying the benefits and shortfalls of the NHSP.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2016

Responded threshold level in hearing screening depends on the noise level of test surroundings, physiological characteristics of hearing organs, excessive sound source exposures, and so on. The purpose of this study is to obtain the basic information of hearing threshold level at each frequencies in children with passed hearing screening. Subjects were 110 children, aged were from 3.3 to 16.3 ($9.01{\pm}2.52$), who were at private speech language pathological clinics and daycare centers. Methods of Hearing screening were tympanometry, acoustic reflex threshold, automated otoacoustic emission, and pure tone screening. The subjects were in normal criteria of hearing screening. The differences of hearing threshold among ages and frequencies were measured by means of repeated measures ANOVA. The mean of hearing thresholds level was observed $16{\pm}6.49$, $11.5{\pm}4.79$, $6.86{\pm}4.99$, $5.95{\pm}6.65$ dB HL in the right ear and $15.68{\pm}6.01$, $9.95{\pm}5.24$, $5.72{\pm}5.21$, $5.63{\pm}7.04$ dB HL in the left ear, in frequency of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 Hz respectively. There was a significant difference between 500 and 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 Hz (p=.000), between 1,000 and 2,000, 4,000 Hz (p=.000).

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.10
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• pp.1056-1060
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• 2006

Purpose : As hearing ability affects language and cognitive development, early detection and intervention of congenital hearing defects is very important. We analyzed the result of newborn hearing screening using automated auditory brainstem response and estimated the incidence of congenital hearing defects in newborn infants in Korea. Methods : Hearing screening tests were done on 7,218 newborn infants who were delivered at Cheil General Hospital from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005. The first screening test was done on the second day of life with automated auditory brainstem response(AABR) using $ALGO{\bigcirc}^{(3)}$ Newborn hearing screener($Natus^{(R)}$ Medical Incorporated, San Carlos, USA) with 35 dB sound level. The newborn infants who did not pass the initial screening test took the second screening AABR test before discharge from the nursery. Infants who did not pass these screenings at the nursery were followed up at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Samsung Seoul Hospital. Results : Total 7,218 infants(83.3 percent of total 8,664 live births of the Cheil General Hospital) were screened in the nursery, and 55 of them failed to pass the newborn screening. Among 55 infants who were referred, six were lost during follow-up, and 14 were confirmed as hearing impaired. Six of them(42.8 percent) do not have any risk factors for hearing impairment. We can estimate that the incidence of hearing defects is about 1.9-2.8 per 1,000 live births. Conclusion : Automated auditory brainstem response is an effective tool to screen the hearing of newborn infants. Congenital hearing loss is more frequent than metabolic diseases on which screening tests are available in the newborn period. About 40 percent of infants who have hearing defects do not have any risk factors for hearing impairment. Therefore, universal newborn hearing screening must be recommended to all neonates.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2020

Because the psychophysical symptoms of hearing loss and dementia in the elderly are very similar, untrained healthcare professionals in dementia facilities can easily overlook a severity of hearing loss in their patients. The present study identifies their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on hearing loss using a survey whether they may help hearing problem of the patients with dementia. A total of 29 health-care professionals responded to the KAP survey. Also, 2 family members participated. The results showed that most of the nurses and caregivers in elderly medical welfare facilities who worked with dementia patients did not have knowledge of their hearing loss. Even the facility managers did not know how to conduct hearing tests for their patients although they did recognize that some of their patients had a hearing loss. Eventually, actual practice was not possible at this moment by the professionals. However, our respondents did have a positive attitude toward screening for hearing loss and help their patients with dementia wear hearing aids if a clinical guideline was provided. We suggest to develop clear and precise clinical guidelines of the hearing screening test for the dementia patients due to the interrelationship between dementia and hearing loss. When these guidelines apply to elderly residents in a medical welfare facility, early diagnosis and treatment of their sensory loss will help alleviate their dementia as well.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2020

Because the psychophysical symptoms of hearing loss and dementia in the elderly are very similar, untrained healthcare professionals in dementia facilities can easily overlook a severity of hearing loss in their patients. The present study identifies their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on hearing loss using a survey whether they may help hearing problem of the patients with dementia. A total of 29 health-care professionals responded to the KAP survey. Also, 2 family members participated. The results showed that most of the nurses and caregivers in elderly medical welfare facilities who worked with dementia patients did not have knowledge of their hearing loss. Even the facility managers did not know how to conduct hearing tests for their patients although they did recognize that some of their patients had a hearing loss. Eventually, actual practice was not possible at this moment by the professionals. However, our respondents did have a positive attitude toward screening for hearing loss and help their patients with dementia wear hearing aids if a clinical guideline was provided. We suggest to develop clear and precise clinical guidelines of the hearing screening test for the dementia patients due to the interrelationship between dementia and hearing loss. When these guidelines apply to elderly residents in a medical welfare facility, early diagnosis and treatment of their sensory loss will help alleviate their dementia as well.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.172-179
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• 2018

Objectives: To review the status of newborn hearing screening (NHS) and to investigate the effect of the examiners on NHS tests to help the quality control of NHS at a general hospital in a city. Methods: The charts of newborns from January 2015 to March 2016 and from August 2016 to October 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. We compared the results of tests performed by several examiners(group 1) with those performed by one audiologist (group 2) using the same automated auditory brainstem response test. Results: The screening rate and referral rate were not significantly different between group 1 and group 2. The confirmatory test rate was higher in the group 2, but it was not significant. In group 1, the number of tests performed 3 or more times in one ear at one time was significantly higher. The number of tests performed in only one ear at one time was higher in group 2. The screening rate within one month after birth was 64.21%, referral rate was 7.32%, confirmatory test rate within 3 months after birth was 21.74%, and the prevalence of hearing loss was 1.46%. Conclusions: There was no significant difference of results depending on the examiners. In order to make proper screening test, it is necessary to periodically educate the examiner and to instruct the examiner by the supervisor doctors.