Adherence to a Neonatal Hearing Screening Program

Neonatal hearing screening programs have been developed worldwide. Since 2002, the newborns from the Center for Integral Assistance to Women's Health at UNICAMP have been referred to hearing screening at the Center for Studies and Research on Rehabilitation "Prof. Dr. Gabriel Porto". Nevertheless, not all newborns come to the screening and others drop out before the procedures are completed. The goal of this research was to characterize the newborns' adherence rates to the Neonatal Hearing Screening Program. A retrospective investigation was carried out, collecting data on the records of all cases screened from February to November of 2007. A total of 2107 infants were referred to hearing screening and 1310 actually came. Among those who failed the test (92 infants), 73 returned for the retest with the use of BAEP. The adherence rate in the first stage of the screening was 62.17% and, in the second, 79.34%. These rates are bellow the ones recommended by the JCIH as well as bellow those reached by hearing screening programs of some developed countries. However, they are similar to other Brazilian experiences of neonatal hearing screening programs. A close follow up of the families of those infants who failed the first stage of the screening, as well as the orientation given to them about early detection of hearing loss and its consequences, may have contributed to the increase in the adherence rate in the second stage of the screening.