Exploring the categorisation of hearing loss across Australia’s paediatric hearing health services

Abstract Objective To describe how childhood hearing loss is classified across Australian hearing health services and assess whether existing classification systems can be harmonised into a single national framework to support consistent and equitable data collection and reporting. Design: A cross-sectional national survey collected responses from organisations providing hearing health services, specifically Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS), diagnostic audiology, hearing rehabilitation, and hearing implantation. Reported categories and associated hearing-level thresholds were compared across jurisdictions and service types. Study Sample: One hundred organisations (296 services) providing hearing health services to children (aged 0–18 years) in Australia completed the survey. Among these, 69 organisations reported categories of hearing-loss severity and 66 provided range of hearing threshold value associated with categories. Results Most organisations used the categories Normal, Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Profound, while ‘Slight’ was uncommon. Thresholds were relatively consistent for Normal (≤ 20 dB), Mild (21–40), and Profound (≥ 91). In contrast, thresholds for Moderate, Moderately Severe, Severe, and Severe-to-Profound varied considerably, with overlapping ranges across services. Conclusions Findings suggest a strong foundation for national harmonisation, with many organisations using threshold ranges broadly aligned with established (national and international) severity classification systems. However, substantial variation in the mid-range categories highlights the need for a unified national framework to ensure consistent interpretation, service planning and reporting, and to ultimately drive improvements in care and outcomes.