Neonatal Hearing Screening at a Tertiary Private Hospital, Saudi Arabia: Findings and Outcomes

Abstract Objective: Hearing screening is a crucial public health measure that significantly enhances individuals’ quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the findings and outcomes of neonatal hearing screening at a tertiary private hospital. It represents the first examination of neonatal hearing screening outcomes at a tertiary private hospital in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) program at a tertiary private hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study included all live births from January 2023 to January 2024, encompassing both healthy infants and those discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit. The screening process employed automated auditory brainstem response testing. Key data points recorded included the total number of neonates screened, referral rates, cases lost to follow-up, and the prevalence of diagnosed hearing loss. Results: Of the 5,519 newborns, 5,358 underwent screening, achieving a coverage rate of 96.8%. By the completion of stage three screening, the referral rate was 1.4%. However, the lost to follow-up rate was 17.7%. The overall prevalence of hearing impairment was 0.16%. Conclusions: This study presents findings from the UNHS program at a single private tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia, which are comparable to both national and international data. While these results may not be generalizable, they contribute valuable insights toward the development of a nationwide UNHS registry. Such a registry could facilitate improved regional resource allocation, utilization, and benchmarking.