Neonatal hearing screening in children: international recommendations and Ukrainian realities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2025.8(152).5463Keywords:
neonatal hearing screening, infant hearing loss, universal newborn hearing screening, Ukraine, audiological follow-up, clinical guidelines, hearing loss rehabilitation in children, children, early hearing detection and interventionAbstract
Hearing impairment in newborns and infants is one of the most serious factors negatively affecting speech development, cognitive functions, socio-emotional formation, and the child's adaptation in society. An effective system of neonatal audiological screening (NAS) enables the detection of hearing loss within the first weeks of life.
Aim – to systematize international approaches to neonatal hearing screening in children and to describe the experience of their practical implementation at the «St. Michael's Clinical Hospital of Kyiv» and its department of hearing and speech pathology «SUVAG».
This publication is a review and analytical article based on content analysis and statistical description of secondary data. The study involved a comprehensive analysis of scientific sources covering approaches to neonatal hearing screening in children over the past five years (data from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). Additionally, data from the department of hearing and speech pathology «SUVAG» were examined within the scope of the work. The issue of early detection of hearing impairments in newborns is one of the key challenges in modern pediatric audiology. The study analyzes current international and national approaches to screening organization, clinical guidelines, and statistical reports. Particular attention is given to the data obtained from the department of hearing and speech pathology «SUVAG», which is a leading specialized institution for the diagnosis, counseling, and early rehabilitation of children with hearing disorders. The dynamics of two key screening indicators over recent years were assessed, allowing the identification of referral trends and the effectiveness of existing diagnostic pathways in the city of Kyiv.
Conclusions. Neonatal hearing screening is a key component of the early detection system for hearing impairments, and the high rates of referrals to the department of hearing and speech pathology “SUVAG” following non-completion of the primary screening in maternity hospitals demonstrate the effectiveness of patient routing, ensuring timely in-depth diagnostics and early intervention, which is crucial for the child’s speech and cognitive development.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
Acke FRE, De Vriese C, Van Hoecke H, De Leenheer EMR. (2022). Twelve years of neonatal hearing screening: audiological and etiological results. European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology: official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS): affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. 279(7): 3371-3378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-021-07060-5; PMid:34463816
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2020). Universal newborn hearing screening. URL: https://www.asha.org.
Bai JS, Gowda PRP, Naik SM, Somashekhar A. (2024). Hearing Screening in High-Risk Neonates Using Distortion Product Oto-Acoustic Emission. Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery: official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India. 76(1): 620-625. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-023-04227-w; PMid:38440481 PMCid:PMC10908932
Besen E, Mary de Paiva K, Gonçalves LF, Samelli AG, Machado MJ, Abreu da Silva AQ et al. (2023). Universal neonatal hearing screening before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology. 172: 111689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2023.111689; PMid:37562319
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Hearing loss in newborns and infants: Newborn hearing screening. URL: https://www.cdc.gov.
Ching TYC, Dillon H, Leigh G. (2017). Early diagnosis and intervention for children with hearing loss: A study on outcomes of hearing aids and cochlear implants. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 95: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2017.01.005; PMid:28166996
Denoyelle F, Rouillon I, Alvin F, Parodi M, Couloigner V et al. (2021). Neonatal hearing screening. Medecine sciences: M/S. 37(5): 519-527. https://doi.org/10.1051/medsci/2021064; PMid:34003098
Edmond KM, Chadha S, Hunnicutt C, Strobel N, Manchaiah V, Yoshinaga-Itano C et al. (2022). Effectiveness of universal newborn hearing screening: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Global Health, 12: 12006. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.12.12006; PMid:36259421 PMCid:PMC9579831
European Association of Audiology. (2020). Guidelines for early hearing detection and intervention. URL: https://www.earfoundation.org.uk.
Fowler KE, Roberts SL, Forster CR. (2018). Two-step hearing screening in infants: The efficacy of a universal hearing screening program. British Journal of Audiology. 32(5): 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014460903481322.
Grosse SD, Mason CA, Gaffney M, Thomson V, White KR. (2018). What Contribution Did Economic Evidence Make to the Adoption of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Policies in the United States? International Journal of Neonatal Screening. 4(3): 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijns4030025; PMid:30123850 PMCid:PMC6094389
Loundon N, Chia M. (2015). Newborn hearing screening: A national experience in France. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 79(2): 173-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2015.10.004
Madzivhandila AG, le Roux T, Biagio de Jager L. (2024). Neonatal hearing screening using a smartphone-based otoacoustic emission device: A comparative study. International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology. 177: 111862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.111862; PMid:38295684
Marushko Y, Khomych OV. (2023). Assessment of acoustic signal characteristics in children with community-acquired pneumonia according to the prevalence and nature of lung tissue damage using the new device «Trembita-Corona». Modern Pediatrics. Ukraine. 2(130): 79-88. https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2023.130.79
Marushko YuV, Khomych OV. (2024). Peculiarities of acoustic diagnostic methods in pediatric practice (literature review, own research). Modern Pediatrics. Ukraine. 6(142): 88-95. https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2024.6(142).8895
Ministry of Health of Ukraine. (2025). Poriadok nadannia medychnoi dopomohy z orhanizatsii skryningu ta diahnostyky porushenʹ slukhu u ditei. Nakaz MOZ Ukrainy vid 29.04.2025 No.736. URL: https://ips.ligazakon.net/document/RE44152?an=85.
Moeller MP. (2018). Early intervention and its impact on the development of children with hearing loss. Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention. 4(1): 20-26. https://doi.org/10.1515/jehdi-2018-0005.
Mühler R, Brandt M. (2017). Universal newborn hearing screening: A review of the program in Germany. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 101: 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2017.07.022; PMid:28964317
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2019). Hearing screening for newborns and children under 5. NICE guidelines. URL: https://www.nice.org.uk.
Neumann K, Euler HA, Chadha S, White KR. (2020). A Survey on the Global Status of Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening. Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention. 5(2): 63-84. https://doi.org/10.26077/a221-cc28.
Núñez Batalla FJ, Fernández-Cedrón Bermejo C, Guntín García M, Sandoval Menéndez I, Fresno Díaz E et al. (2023). Universal neonatal hearing screening and delayed hearing loss or late-developmental hearing loss. Acta otorrinolaringologica espanola. 74(5): 283-289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otoeng.2022.10.007; PMid:37149133
Pyarali M, Akhtar S, Adeel M, Mallick SA, Uneeb SN, Aslam A. (2023). Neonatal Hearing Screening Programme And Challenges Faced By The Developing Country: A Tertiary Care Hospital Experience. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association. 73(9): 1788-1793. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.6264; PMid:37817685
Rockwell M, Gungor A, Pichilingue Reto P, Manzar S, Mankekar G. (2023). Neonatal Hearing Screening: Challenges of COVID-19 Pandemic. Clinical pediatrics. 62(11): 1380-1384. https://doi.org/10.1177/00099228231158673; PMid:37036077 PMCid:PMC10086802
Sutherland A, Kent R. (2019). Universal newborn hearing screening in the United Kingdom: National outcomes. The Lancet Public Health. 4(3): e123-e130. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30271-7.
Vernier LS, Fernandes CP, Skorin PP, Ávila ATV, Levandowski DC. (2024). Cost-effectiveness of Neonatal Hearing Screening Programs: Systematic Review. International archives of otorhinolaryngology. 28(4): e668-e696. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1776703; PMid:39464347 PMCid:PMC11511281
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Modern pediatrics. Ukraine
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The policy of the Journal “MODERN PEDIATRICS. UKRAINE” is compatible with the vast majority of funders' of open access and self-archiving policies. The journal provides immediate open access route being convinced that everyone – not only scientists - can benefit from research results, and publishes articles exclusively under open access distribution, with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 international license (СС BY-NC).
Authors transfer the copyright to the Journal “MODERN PEDIATRICS. UKRAINE” when the manuscript is accepted for publication. Authors declare that this manuscript has not been published nor is under simultaneous consideration for publication elsewhere. After publication, the articles become freely available on-line to the public.
Readers have the right to use, distribute, and reproduce articles in any medium, provided the articles and the journal are properly cited.
The use of published materials for commercial purposes is strongly prohibited.
