[Newborn Hearing Screening].

Abstract

Abstract: In Germany, approximately 1-3 per 1000 newborns are affected by a bilateral hearing impairment requiring treatment. Early diagnosis through newborn hearing screening and rapid initiation of therapy are crucial for age-appropriate language, motor, and social development and are therefore the focus of this "Facharztwissen HNO" educational article. Delayed diagnosis leads to persistent developmental disadvantages even when rehabilitation is initiated later. As around half of affected children have no identifiable risk factors, newborn hearing screening was introduced nationwide as a standard service in 2009 and anchored in the Children's Health Screening Guidelines. Newborn hearing screening is a voluntary preventive measure funded by statutory health insurance. Its aim is to detect bilateral hearing loss of 35 dB or greater by the third month of life and to initiate appropriate therapy by the sixth month at the latest. The multi-step screening process uses transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) and automated auditory brainstem response (AABR); abnormal findings are followed by repeat measurements and pediatric audiological confirmatory diagnostics. However, mild, frequency-specific, or slowly progressive hearing losses are not reliably detected. Despite long-standing implementation, substantial regional differences in screening rates and process quality persist, and the defined quality targets are not consistently achieved nationwide. In particular, there is a lack of uniform and mandatory tracking structures across Germany. Regional models demonstrate that systematic tracking can improve early detection and timely initiation of therapy.