New-born Hearing Screening Programmes in 2020: CODEPEH Recommendations

Abstract

Programmes for early detection of congenital hearing loss have been successfully implemented mainly in developed countries, after overcoming some conceptual errors argued against their implementation and some criticism of their efficacy. However, some difficulties and weaknesses are still identified in these programmes: the detection of late-onset hearing loss and the percentage of children who did not pass the screening and did not complete the process of diagnosis and treatment, these being cases that are lost in the process. The purpose of this Document is to analyse these problems to determine areas for improvement and to emphasize one of the basic principles for the success of the programmes: continuous training for the interdisciplinary team. The result of the review process carried out by CODEPEH has been drafted as Recommendations for updating the Programmes with the evidence of the last decade, including advances in screening technology, the impact of the present knowledge on congenital infection by cytomegalovirus, genetic hearing loss research and control systems of lost to follow-up cases, treatment and follow up.

Keywords: Aetiological diagnosis of paediatric hearing loss; Congenital cytomegalovirus infection; Cribado neonatal hipoacusia; Diagnóstico etiológico hipoacusia infantil; Hearing loss; Hipoacusia; Infección congénita citomegalovirus; Loss to follow-up; New-born hearing screening; Pérdidas en el seguimiento.