First model of the newborn screening for hearing impairment in Croatia

Approximately 1 to 3 infants per 1,000 are born with a significant degree of hearing loss. It is accepted that about 80% of impairments are present before infants are discharged from hospital after birth and that neonatal screening limited to the “high risk” group (targeting screening) will, at best, identify only 50% of the congenitally hearing impaired infants. That is why universal neonatal screening seems to be the best choice for early and effective detection of hearing impairment. The author suggests a methodology of hearing screening and a model which will be applied in one neonatal department in Zagreb. The target is to examine the effectiveness of the model and, depending on the results, to apply the model in all newborn departments in Zagreb and later in the whole country.