Patient's question:
My baby was born yesterday. It hasn't been scheduled for screening yet from today. I asked the nurse, and she said to wait a bit longer. Will it not be too late if we wait a bit longer? What is the best time for newborn hearing screening?Doctor's answer:
The hospital used the GSI 170 Auditory Brainstem Response hearing screening device to screen 1,226 newborns according to their days of birth. The results showed that the hearing pass rates on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 after birth were 32.05%, 50.76%, 84.11%, 92.05%, 93.67%, 93.55%, and 93.62%, respectively, as the newborns' ages increased. The initial screening pass rates showed an upward trend. However, they remained stable after the fourth day. The initial screening pass rate (66.03%) before birth for three days was significantly different from the screening pass rate (93.01%) after birth for 4-7 days. This suggests that newborn hearing screening should be conducted three days after birth. Therefore, the best time to test infants is at 72 hours.