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

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programmes support early identification and management of hearing loss. However, limited data exist on post-diagnostic pathways, amplification uptake, and continuity of care within public-sector paediatric services....

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Audiologists working in or consulting for low-resource settings should review follow-up and intervention pathways, as this study signals likely bottlenecks between newborn screening identification and timely management.

Documenting management pathway gaps in a sub-Saharan African tertiary hospital highlights systemic barriers to early intervention that are relevant to global audiology and hearing health equity efforts.

1. 01Retrospective review of children identified with hearing loss via newborn hearing screening in Western Cape, South Africa.
2. 02Study maps management pathways from screening identification through intervention at a tertiary paediatric hospital.
3. 03Outcomes tracked include uptake of hearing aids, auditory rehabilitation, and loss to follow-up rates.
4. 04Findings reflect challenges in low-resource healthcare settings where follow-up infrastructure is limited.
5. 05Results are relevant to global early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) program planning.

PMID

42549707

DOI

10.4102/sajcd.v73i1.1187.

Journal

South African Journal of Communication Disorders

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Children with hearing loss identified through newborn and infant hearing screening at a tertiary paediatric hospital in Western Cape, South Africa

Intervention

Newborn and infant hearing screening followed by management pathway entry