Newborn hearing testing in Ireland is progressing well, with potential impact on the lives of children eligible for unilateral or bilateral cochlear implants, the Medical Independent reports – but the system has follow-up ‘shortfalls’.
Read: The Sound of Silence
Early detection of hearing issues is essential for children to benefit from the cochlear implant programme, the MI quotes Dr Mary Francis, Senior Medical Officer for Carlow/Kilkenny, as saying to the IMO’s 2011 AGM.
We’re doing a huge disservice to the children,” Dr Francis said. “There’s an incidence of about one in 1,000 or one in 2,000 of sensorineural hearing loss each year and these children are waiting six and seven years for diagnosis.
More Reading
- Bilateral Implant Wait List Concerns Irish Parents
- How New Zealand’s Newborn Hearing Tests Lead To Early Intervention
- HSE Takes Proactive Steps On State Hearing Tests
- UK’s Hearing-Services See Losses, Plus Gains
- Family Gets Apology From HSE For Misdiagnosis
