Newborn Screening Isn’t Enough: Monitoring Hearing Status Throughout Early Childhood with Dylan Chan, MD

During the well child visits that start within the first several weeks after a baby is born, the pediatrician or other health care provider begins to monitor a number of health and development concerns, one of which is to check the child’s newborn hearing screening result. If a newborn doesn't pass a hearing screening conducted before hospital discharge, or one performed within the first few weeks of life, then referral for audiological evaluation is the next needed step. In most instances, children pass the newborn hearing screening. With approximately 98% of all infants in the US now receiving what is considered universal newborn hearing screening, this provides parents and health care providers an important initial data point on the child’s hearing status. In this episode of EarWorm we will be talking about the ways in which pediatricians, other health care providers and actually everyone in the life of a child, can and should continue to monitor the hearing status of children throughout the early childhood period, even if the child passed the newborn hearing screening. Host: William Eiserman, Ph.D.