Association between clinico-demographic profile and hearing screening results among newborns in West Visayas State University-Medical Center from 2018 to 2022

Abstract

Background: Infant hearing loss is a chronic condition in children that, if detected late, can lead to irreversible long-term speech, language, and cognitive deficits. Identifying clinico-demographic characteristics and risk factors associated with hearing loss is thus essential to improve its detection, intervention, and prevention.

Objective: This study aims to determine the association between the clinico-demographic profile and hearing screening results among newborn at West Visayas State University-Medical Center from January 2018 to December 2022.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized the data from the logbook registry of Newborn West Visayas State University Medical Center-Hearing Screening Center. Descriptive and inferential statistics determined the association between the clinico-demographic profile and the "Pass" or "Refer" screening result.

Results: Hearing screening was done on 6963 newborns between 2018 and 2022. Of these, 6781 (97.39%) received "Pass" results for both ears, while 182 (2.61%) had "Refer." Although most received "Pass," males showed a higher "Refer" rate. Furthermore, "Refer" rates increased with lower birth weight and early gestational age. Moreover, among the risk factors for hearing loss, craniofacial anomalies had the highest "Refer" prevalence, while family history and hyperbilirubinemia had no refer cases. Statistical tests revealed significant associations with birthweight, craniofacial anomalies, and no risk factors for hearing loss.

Conclusion: Birth weight, craniofacial anomalies, and absence of risk factors were significantly associated with screening results. This highlights the importance of enhanced screening and monitoring protocols for these populations for early detection of hearing loss.