Background: Since 2005 all newborns at Turku University Central Hospital, Finland have been screened for hearing loss with two-stage procedure (otoacoustic emission and automated auditory brainstem response).
Methods: We reviewed medical records of all newborns screened for hearing loss in 2006-2008. Costs of the screening were estimated.
Results: 12011 newborns were screened. In 12 newborns moderate to severe bilateral hearing defect was detected. The incidence of hearing defect was 0.06% among healthy newborns and 0.8% among very preterm infants. Costs of the two-stage screening were 26% lower than those of the one-stage model.
Conclusions: Two-stage screening for hearing improved identification of newborns with hearing loss in a cost-effective manner.