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minnesota newborn screening program

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening

On this page:

Information for Hospitals
Conducting Newborn Hearing Screens
Documenting/Reporting Newborn Hearing Screening Results
What to do if a baby REFERS
Newborn Hearing Screening in the NICU

Information for Primary Care Providers
Follow-up of Newborn Hearing Screens
Fact Sheets on Newborn Hearing Screening
Reporting Follow-up results and appointments to MDH

Information for Audiologists
Reporting Diagnostic Results and appointments to MDH

Advisory Guidelines for Newborn Hearing Screening
Advisory Committee Guidelines for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in the Well Baby Nursery (PDF: 100KB/11 pages)

Advisory Committee Guidelines for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in the NICU (PDF: 92KB/11 pages)

Advisory Committee Guidelines for Pediatric Amplification (PDF: 46KB/7 pages)

Information for Hospitals

Conducting Newborn Hearing Screening
Minnesota state law (Statute 144.966) requires all newborns to be screened for hearing loss before they are discharged from the hospital.

Infants can be screened in the nursery with the following technology:

Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR)
Otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs or TOAEs)

Newborn Hearing Screening Technologies (PDF: 111KB/1 page)

Information on discussing hearing screening with parents can be found on the Communicating to Parents page.

Documenting and Reporting Newborn Hearing Screening Results
Hearing screening results should be documented in a hearing logbook in the nursery, in the baby’s medical chart, and sent to the MDH Newborn Screening Program and the baby’s primary care provider.

There are two main ways to submit hearing screening results to MDH:

On the newborn screening card

The area in the lower right hand corner of the card is designed to collect hearing information
If hearing screening is completed before the blood sample is put on the card, fill in the hearing result and send it to MDH with the blood specimen. There is NO need to detach the hearing copy in these cases.

Separately, on the ‘Hearing Screening Copy’ form

First complete the demographic information on the specimen card
Remove the second page of the card labeled ‘Hearing Screening Copy’
Fill out the hearing copy when hearing screening results are available and send in to MDH
Send the hearing slips to MDH with other screening cards for fastest delivery

Minnesota law requires hospitals to send hearing screening results to MDH – send results as soon as they are available.

Submitting hearing screening results to the Primary Care Provider:

Hearing results, especially those requiring follow-up should be communicated to the infant’s primary care provider. It is best practice to provide hearing results in writing.
MDH has created a one-page document (Parent Notification fax) that can be faxed to the primary care clinic and be used to inform parents of the newborn hearing screening results.

Informing parents of newborn screening results:

Best practice is to inform all parents of the hearing screening results on their infants
Results need to be communicated to parents both verbally AND in writing. MDH has created "Hearing Pass" and "Hearing Refer" forms that can be given to parents.
REFER results NEED to be communicated to parents with a plan for follow-up.

Sample Hearing Logbook (PDF: 86KB/1 page)
Hearing Pass (English) (PDF: 88KB/2 pages)
Hearing Refer (English) (PDF: 98KB/2 pages)
Documentation Fact Sheet

What to do if a baby REFERS

Send REFER result to primary care provider
Send REFER result to MDH
Help family make a plan to follow-up on result

Families of infants who refer on hearing screening should be educated about the hearing screening results and what follow-up is needed. Some talking points for families might include:

Why the baby might have referred
The importance of follow-up
How to schedule an appointment for hearing rescreening or pediatric audiological evaluation
Verify with family who the primary care provider will be
Discussing hearing results with baby’s doctor at first appointment

Newborn Hearing Screening in the NICU
Babies who require intensive care after birth are at higher risk for hearing loss than are other babies. It is very important to make sure that all babies who have spent time in the NICU have their hearing screened.

Hearing screens may be missed when babies are transferred from one facility to another. MDH has created a special form to help ensure that all Minnesota babies receive the benefit of early hearing screening.

Hearing Screening Form for Transferred Babies (PDF: 33KB/1 page)

If an infant is transferred to your facility, please determine if the baby’s hearing was screened before transfer and that results were sent to MDH. If you cannot verify that a baby has been screened, it is better to rescreen the baby than to miss the opportunity.

Often, babies are not mature or stable enough for hearing screening to be completed before transfer from the NICU to another facility.

It is the responsibility of the hospital staff that discharges baby to home to make sure that hearing screening is done and reported.

Information for Primary Care Providers

Follow-Up of Newborn Hearing Screens
Hearing screening results should be reviewed by the baby’s primary care provider at the first clinic visit. If results have not arrived, contact the birth hospital and ask to have them faxed over.

It is good practice to review the charts of all newborns seen in clinic to make sure that hearing screens were done and that follow-up has been accomplished.

Babies with REFER results:
All babies who fail their initial tests need to be rescreened. Objective hearing rescreening can be done:

in the hospital nursery
at the clinic
by an audiologist

Objective hearing testing does NOT include:

Clapping hands, ringing bells, etc. to see if baby startles
Asking parents if there are “any concerns regarding baby’s hearing”

If the baby fails the second screen, the family should be referred to an audiologist or ENT who evaluates very young children as soon as possible.

DO NOT DELAY FOLLOW-UP. Though hearing screening has an inherently high false positive rate, ignoring abnormal screening tests can lead to delayed diagnosis of hearing loss.

Fact Sheets on Newborn Hearing Screening
Hearing Loss Medical Fact Sheet (PDF: 106KB/1page)
Hearing Loss Family Fact Sheet (PDF: 100KB/1 page)
Newborn Hearing Screening Technologies Fact Sheet (PDF: 111 KB/1 page)
Improving Follow-Up of Hearing Screening in the Clinic (PDF: 110KB/1 page)

Reporting follow-up results and appointments to MDH
All hearing evaluations done after a baby has failed screening in the nursery need to be reported by the clinic to MDH. You can report this information by:

	Fax (the fastest way): 651-215-6285
	Mail:
		Newborn Screening Program
		601 Robert Street North
		PO box 64899
		Saint Paul, MN 55164

MDH has created a clinic reporting form for the purpose of reporting results. The form is interactive and can be completed on the computer or printed out and complete by hand.

Hearing Rescreening Reporting Form For Clinics (PDF: 694KB/1 page)

Signed, written consent from parents for submitting results to MDH is no longer necessary under the mandatory hearing screening law.

Information for Audiologists

Reporting diagnostic results and appointments to MDH

All Diagnostic hearing evaluations need to be reported by an audiologist to MDH. You can report this information using the form below:
Diagnostic Hearing Reporting Form for Audiologists (PDF: 713KB/1 page)
This form is interactive and can be completed on the computer or printed out and completed by hand.

Please fax these forms to: (651) 215-6285.

Signed, written consent from parents for submitting results to MDH is no longer necessary under the mandatory hearing screening law.

Updated Monday, 04-Feb-2013 09:46:52 CST