A local rehabilitation service for children with hearing loss

Objectives to discuss the issues of inter-disciplinary cooperation for improvement the pediatric audiological care using modern technologies for hearing restoration. Material and methods. An epidemiological study of hearing impairments in 3098 children registered in the Center of Pediatric Audiology (St. Petersburg) and analysis of the city pediatric audiological services were carried out. Results. The introduction of the universal newborn hearing screening helped to diagnose hearing loss in children under 1 year of age in 47% of cases. Before the screening implementation, it was diagnosed in 22% of cases. The hearing screening results testify that 26% of children meet modern requirements of early diagnosis (under 3 months) of congenital hearing loss. 54% of children registered in the Audiology Center are using hearing aids or cochlear implants. The mean age of initial amplification is 3 years 8 months. 5.4% of children got amplification under 6 months of age, 20% of children - under 1 year and 58% - under 3 years. The mean interval between diagnosis and amplification was 15.7 months, only 24% of children got amplification within 3 months after being diagnosed. A system of family-centered medical, psychological and pedagogical rehabilitation of children with hearing impairments was developed at the Center of Pediatric Audiology.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Parents towards Childhood Hearing Loss and Pediatric Hearing Services in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

The successful implementation of pediatric audiology services depends on parental engagement and support. It is essential to analyze the gaps in knowledge level and attitude of the parents in United Arab Emirates (UAE), towards pediatric hearing loss and pediatric audiology services. The present study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of parents in Sharjah, UAE.A cross-sectional survey was administered to 295 parents in a tertiary care hospital setting. The self-reported questionnaire consisted of 26 items. 34.2% of the parents ascertaining good knowledge and 65.8% reported poor knowledge regarding the various factors related to the childhood hearing loss. Further, 86.2% of parents reported positive attitudes regarding accessing pediatric audiology services. A significant association was found between age groups, educational status, and knowledge levels. The study highlights the poor knowledge demonstrated by parents in the UAE regarding hearing loss and its associated risk factors. Findings outline the critical need in the region to enhance parental awareness. More health promotion activities and community outreach campaigns are necessary to increase the uptake of pediatric audiology services in the region.

Increasing Pediatric Audiology Services via Telehealth

Telehealth as a means to deliver health care services has been used by physicians for many years, but the use of telehealth in audiology, specifically in pediatrics, has been minimal. Barriers such as licensure, reimbursement, technology, and equipment have been cited as reasons for audiologists not participating in telehealth. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created the need for telehealth services to be widely used to safely increase access to healthcare, and emergent orders helped reduce previous barriers so that audiologists could participate in telehealth service delivery. This article details three cases where audiologists delivered telehealth services to children. These case studies demonstrate portions of the Division of Audiology Telehealth Program of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and how they increased access to hearing healthcare in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Efficiency of Melatonin as a Sedative for Auditory Brainstem Response in Children

Introduction—Although auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing is among the most frequently used investigations in pediatric audiology and it often requires sedation or general anesthesia. In recent years, melatonin has been successfully used as an alternative way of inducing sleep, particularly in children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or electroencephalography (EEG). Purpose—To assess the effectiveness of orally administered melatonin as an alternative to sedation or general anesthesia during ABR testing. Method—In total, 33 children with suspected hearing loss underwent ABR tests in melatonin-induced sleep. Each patient received an initial dose of 5 mg, which was re-administered in case of failure to obtain sleep. Click-induced ABR tests were performed on both ears. Results—ABR tests were successfully performed in 72.7% of the patients. The average total length of time needed to obtain sleep and complete the ABR testing was 45 min. There was no significant difference between the patients who completed the examination and those who did not in terms of age or psychomotor development. There was a statistically significant association between receiving a maintenance dose and successful completion of the test (p < 0.001). There was also a significant connection between the degree of hearing loss and the success rate of the ABR tests (p < 0.001). Conclusions—Melatonin-induced sleep is a good and safer alternative to anesthesia to perform ABR testing in young children. It is easily administered, tolerated by the patients, and accepted by parents.