Preschool-based screening programs were found to be effective for identifying hearing loss in early childhood, according to results published in JAMA Otolaryngology —Head and Neck Surgery. Kara D. Brodie, MD, MPhil, and colleagues examined outcomes associated with a low-income, preschool-based hearing screen-ing program and risk factors for hearing loss in 6,820 children aged 2-6 from urban, low-income public preschools who underwent hearing screening between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2019. In total, 403 children (5.9%) were sent for complete medical or audiologic evaluation after two-tiered conditioned play pure-tone audiometry (CPA)/distortion product otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) screening. The screening completion rate was 99.6%. Following medical assessment, 114 children (28.3%) passed hearing re-screening and 55 (13.6%) were lost to follow-up. The incidence of conductive hearing loss was 2.9% and the prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss was 0.2%. Primary language, race and ethnicity, and sex were not associated with rates of referral or hearing loss. Concerns of the teacher were associated with final diagnostic hearing status.
