JKY Yu, IHY Ng, ACS Kam, TKC Wong, ECM Wong, MCF Tong, HC Yu, KM Yu

Abstract

Objectives: Eight Hospital Authority (HA) birthing hospitals in Hong Kong have been using a two-stage automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) protocol as the tool for universal neonatal hearing screening since February 2007. Recognising the high annual cost of the consumables involved in AABR testing, a retrospective study was conducted to assess the feasibility of a two-stage combined distortion otoacoustic emission test (DPOAE) and AABR screening protocol for implementation in local hospitals, and to compare the performance of the two screening protocols in terms of final referral rate, equipment and consumables cost per infant, and average screening time per infant. Design: Retrospective descriptive study. Settings: Two local birthing hospitals in Hong Kong: Hospital A (Union Hospital, a private hospital), Hospital B (Queen Elizabeth Hospital, an HA hospital). Participants: From 1 September 2007 to 31 March 2008, a group of 3,006 infants at Hospital A underwent hearing screening using a combined DPOAE and AABR screening protocol. Results were compared with the results of an AABR-only screening protocol administered to a group of 3,330 infants at Hospital B. Results: The combined DPOAE and AABR protocol had a final referral rate similar to that of the AABR-only protocol, but was about 2.5 times cheaper and almost 3 times faster. Conclusion: The two-stage combined DPOAE and AABR screening protocol is a feasible screening protocol for hospital-based universal neonatal hearing screening in Hong Kong.