Decreased hearing perception is an important health problem given that it limits the possibilities of psychological and intellectual development, and may affect the social relationships of the patient and his/her family. In order to tackle this issue, several programmes have been created with the aim of preventing this problem by identifying risks during the neonatal stage.
The following article presents the development of a childhood hypoacusia early detection programme in a first level hospital centre, analysing the steps followed until it is fully established and the first results after one year of operation.
During the study period, 5.912 healthy newborns were seen at the hospital. 4.739 (80%) otoemissions were performed, 4.237 (89%) were negative, 139 (3%) were categorized as false positives.
The programme has acceptable implementation in its first year, with a high rate of newborns included in the programme, and is providing health care quality indicators.