Use of otoacoustic emissions to improve outcomes and reduce disparities in a community preschool hearing screening program.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Hearing loss substantially impacts pediatric development, and early identification improves outcomes. While intervening before school-entry is critical to optimize learning, early-childhood hearing screening practices are highly variable. Conditioned play audiometry (CPA) is the gold standard for preschool hearing screening, but otoacoustic emission (OAE) testing provides objective data that may improve screening outcomes.

Objectives

To compare outcomes of a community-based low-income preschool hearing program before and after implementation of OAE in a single-visit, two-tiered paradigm. We hypothesized that this intervention would reduce referral rates and improve follow-up while maintaining stable rates of diagnosed sensorineural hearing loss.

Methods

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SUBMITTER: Cedars E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6287830 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature