Hearing screening program in children from primary schools in Poland

Abstract

Introduction. Hearing is one of our most socially important sensory organs , violations of which lead to improper perception of sound and the development of speech and, as a result, to a violation of human social functions. Critical is the early detection of hearing pathologies and, as a consequence, the introduction of appropriate therapy and rehabilitation. This gives us the opportunity to promptly and adequately respond and eliminate the emerging problems. Aim of the study. Analysis of hearing screening of primary school children in Poland Materials and methods. Hearing screening was conducted in a group of 290 children from two primary schools in Poland (Warsaw). Screening was performed using the Senses Examination Platform according to the audiometric procedure of hearing thresholds measurement. Positive result of HTL in screening was defined as equal or more than 25dB at least at one frequency at in either ear. Results. Positive results of hearing screening were obtained in 4.82% of tested children. All the tests were performed according to accepted standards. in case of 14 children additional tests were conducted. Bilateral hearing loss was diagnosed among 50% of children with hearing impairment. Conclusions. Obtained results confirmed the fact of a moderate amount of hearing impairment in school aged children. On the basis of the results we strongly recommend the implementation of hearing screening as a routine procedure in school health care.