The Hearing Screening Programme for Infants in KK Women's and Children's Hospital — Its Development and Role in Reducing the Burden of Hearing Impairment in Singapore

Abstract

This paper describes a successful hearing screening programme for infants in KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH). Between April 2002 and January 2010, 100,237 (99.8% of all eligible babies) were screened, surpassing the international benchmark of 95%; 0.5% were referred for audiological investigations, significantly below the international benchmark of 4%. The median age of diagnosis in 280 infants diagnosed with Hearing Impairment (HI) [4.8months (1–24)] was lower than in HI children in special schools in Singapore [20.8 months (0–86)]. Hearing aids were fitted for 84 infants at a median age of 7.6 months (2–45) which was higher than the international benchmark of six months, but much lower than in special school children [42.2months (1–120)]. Twenty infants received a cochlear implant at a median age of 20 months (8–38). 69.3% of infants with risk factors for HI were rescreened at three to six months of life. This identified a further 88 infants with HI. Nine were fitted with hearing aids. The incidence of HI in KKH was 3.7 per 1000 infants. The KKH programmes identified 69% of infants with HI born in the restructured hospitals in Singapore, providing the opportunity for early intervention and increased likelihood of a hearing and talking child with HI.