Management pathways and outcomes of children with hearing loss identified through newborn and infant hearing screening at a tertiary paediatric hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Silva Kuschke, Chéri Van Zyl, Mmakgotso Mokete and 1 others
Of 72 children diagnosed with hearing loss at a South African paediatric hospital, only 11 received hearing aids.
Most follow-up was retesting, not therapy. A child referred from this pathway may not be receiving structured language intervention.
Key findings
1Of 72 children diagnosed with hearing loss, only 11 (15.3%) received initial amplification; most of those were fitted with bilateral behind-the-ear hearing aids.
2A large share of ears could not be classified by hearing loss type (38.6% right, 33.7% left), and conductive loss was the most common determined type, reflecting a medically complex cohort with fluctuating hearing status.
3Although 71 of 83 children (85.5%) attended follow-up, 97.2% of those visits were retesting rather than habilitative intervention, and referrals to speech-language therapy (16.9% of those referred) and home-based early intervention (7.7%) were relatively low.
to read the rest of this summary — three full summaries a month, no card.
Already have an account?
What it does not show
Single centre, retrospective, descriptive design with no intervention comparison or control group. Only 511 of 7,871 children seen in audiology (6.5%) had documented screening results, so the sample may not represent all children in the Western Cape. A large proportion of ears (38.6% right, 33.7% left) were undetermined by hearing loss type, limiting interpretation of the true mix of conductive versus sensorineural loss. The study could not track whether ENT referrals were attended, whether medical or surgical treatment of conductive loss was completed, or whether conductive losses resolved over time, so the true need for amplification is unknown. Documented referrals do not confirm the child actually attended the referred service. No data were collected on family communication preferences, language choices, or communication modality. No longitudinal developmental, communication, or educational outcomes were tracked.
Declared interests
The authors state the research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →