Affiliation:
1. Department of ENT, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India
Abstract
Abstract
Pediatric hearing impairment is a global health problem and has implications on the individual as well as the society. Undiagnosed hearing impairment has immense economic burden on the family, society, and nation. The challenge lies in diagnosing pediatric hearing impairment early so that effective treatment or rehabilitation can be initiated. Even though universal newborn hearing screening has been implemented in many countries, yet the coverage of the program has not been uniform throughout. Further, many cases of childhood deafness are known to manifest later in the school going age. As such, reliance on hearing screening in the newborn period alone will lead to many undiagnosed cases of hearing impairment. Therefore, a viewpoint is provided here for a three-tiered screening strategy so that maximum cases of hearing impairment can be diagnosed and effective treatment can be initiated, thereby reducing the global economic burden of pediatric hearing impairment.