Failed newborn hearing screens require structured follow-up with ABR and ASSR testing. Here's how Clinit's ENT module tracks the diagnostic pathway from NICU referral to hearing aid fitting.
The Newborn Hearing Screening Pathway
Egypt's national newborn hearing screening programme uses OAE (otoacoustic emissions) testing before discharge. A failed OAE — or a "refer" result — initiates a diagnostic pathway that can involve multiple specialists over months. Without a structured tracking system, children fall through the gaps between referral and definitive management.
Clinit's Audiological Pathway Tracker
Referral Record:
When a child is registered with a "refer" result from newborn screening, the ENT module creates a pathway record with:
- Screening date and result (OAE fail / ABR refer)
- Target dates for diagnostic ABR (within 3 months of birth per WHO guidelines)
Diagnostic Testing:
- ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) — click and tone-burst results for each ear, threshold estimation, morphology
- ASSR (Auditory Steady-State Response) — frequency-specific thresholds for hearing aid fitting
- OAE (Diagnostic) — DPOAE and TEOAE results
- Tympanometry — Type A/B/C, peak pressure, static compliance
Audiological Diagnosis:
- Degree: mild / moderate / moderately severe / severe / profound (per WHO criteria)
- Type: conductive / sensorineural / mixed
- Laterality: unilateral / bilateral
- Likely aetiology (structural, genetic, CMV, hyperbilirubinemia, noise-induced)
Intervention Record:
- Hearing aid fitting — make, model, gain prescription (DSL or NAL-NL2), fitting date
- Cochlear implant candidacy assessment and outcome
- BAHA/bone-anchored hearing aid
Speech and Language Milestones:
Monthly milestone check for auditory development (0–12 months) linked to the audiological pathway. AI flags deviation from expected trajectory.
