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Year :2026
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Month :
April
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Volume :
14
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Issue :
2
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Page :
PO01 - PO05
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Current Insights into Newborn Hearing Screening: A Prospective Observational Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India
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Correspondence Address :
Prakash Chandra Joshi, Bindiya Verma, Niranjan Kumar Singh, Sachin Verma,
Dr. Sachin Verma,
Department of Paediatrics, Vivekananda Polyclinic and Institute of Medical
Sciences, Nirala Nagar, Lucknow-226007, Uttar Pradesh, India.
E-mail: drsachinverma99@gmail.com
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Introduction: Hearing impairment is one of the most common congenital disorders and can significantly affect speech, language, and cognitive development if not identified early. Universal newborn hearing screening plays a vital role in early diagnosis and intervention. However, data on neonatal hearing loss from developing countries, including India, remain limited.
Aim: To determine the prevalence of screen positive hearing impairment among neonates attending a tertiary care hospital using Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) and its association with demographic variables and risk indicators.
Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Northern India from September 2023 to August 2025. A total of 404 neonates were screened using a two-stage AABR protocol. Neonates who failed or had an aborted first-stage AABR underwent second-stage AABR screening. Those who failed the second stage were referred for diagnostic Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) at three months of age. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between different factors and outcomes.
Results: Of the 404 neonates screened, AABR testing was aborted in 2 (0.5%), 62 (15.35%) failed, and 340 (84.15%) passed the first-stage screening. Of the 64 neonates who failed or had aborted tests, 37 underwent second-stage screening. Only 3 (8.11%) passed the second- stage AABR, while 34 (91.89%) failed. Overall, hearing impairment was detected in 34 neonates by two-stage screening, giving a prevalence of 8.42%, while the prevalence of confirmed hearing impairment was 0.74% (3/404). The association between neonatal morbidity and hearing abnormalities was highly significant (p-value <0.001).
Conclusion: The prevalence of screen positive hearing impairment observed in this study (8.42%) was higher than that reported in Western literature but comparable to that in recent Indian studies. Poor follow-up compliance remains a major challenge in implementing universal newborn hearing screening programs. Strengthening follow-up mechanisms and ensuring early intervention for screen-positive neonates are essential to reduce the burden of childhood hearing loss.
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