Universal Newborn Hearing Screening: What Is the Evidence?

In the U.S., approximately 5000 infants are born each year with moderate-to-profound, bilateral, permanent hearing loss. Unfortunately, many of these children are not identified as hearing impaired until they reach 2 to 3 years of age. Because of this delay, and the theory that earlier identification and intervention improve outcomes such as speech and language development, many states have adopted universal neonatal hearing screening (UNHS) programs. However, in its new statement, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine screening of all newborns for hearing loss during postpartum hospitalization. Recommendation: I

Although there is good evidence that such scr…