Many auditory laboratories in the past decade have devoted part of their research efforts to building and implementing successful newborn auditory screening. These days, methods of screening used around the globe are more or less the same, their main advantages and disadvantages are well known and published. However, despite the fact that auditory screening using OAEs had become a true reality in various maternity and neonatal intensive care units, generalized and efficient screening still remains to be implemented in numerous other places.

        If we are still seeing slight improvement in protocols, quality and convenience of the testing devices, it seems to us that more specific ("nationalistic") experience has to be shared to further improve quality and success of newborn screening. As a matter of fact, if OAE recordings can be performed using the same protocol and equipment at the same time in Washington DC, Rome and Sydney many other factors are going to differ between these places.

        This is why we have decided to invite all interested teams to share their own screening experiences by submitting a short paper that will be posted on this web site. These papers should be designed to outline the specific characteristics of their (country's) auditory screening program and difficulties that have been or are being encountered with respect to implementation and management of the program. These papers should target professionals from different disciplines and allow them to find useful information on how existent screenings are managed according to national specifications. Additionally, manufacturers will be able to find useful information to improve the quality of their equipment.

        Among the items to be addressed in this section of the portal are (the list is not exhaustive and does not have to be followed):

• Is newborn hearing screening a priority within your Health Care System?
  
  
• How is the Health Care system affecting the screening (where is the testing done when the baby is discharged within 24 hours of birth, for example)?
  
  
• Who is funding the screening (personnel and equipment). Is there any problem with funding? How much does it cost to screen a baby?
  
  
• Who is doing the screening and who is responsible for the program (clinical teams, research teams)?
  
  
• Is there any opposition to the auditory screening by other medical specialists? Is auditory testing a priority among other physiological tests that have to be performed shortly after birth?
  
  
• Is there a category of babies that is "less" screened? If universal screening is not in place, who decides which babies are screened? According to which factors?
  
  
• Are there any specific risk factors in your country or region that you think have to be addressed? Are they addressed and if so, how?
  
  
• Do you have access to all of the necessary information regarding the baby (pregnancy, risk factors, etc…)?
  
  
• What is the relation between the pediatricians and the screening team?
  
  
• Who informs the parents about the screening (permission, results, etc…).
  
  
• When re-test is necessary, is it easy to get the family back? Who is involved? At what cost? From which step is an ENT professional involved? Who is responsible for the management of deaf babies? If the screening team is not responsible for the follow-up, is there feed back from the responsible party? Is the feed back useful in increasing the efficiency of your screening?
  
  
• How does the team keep informed about new technologies, new research facts, etc…?
  
  
• Are manufacturers helpful for equipment maintenance and information about new products?
  
  
• Is the screening team involved in educational teaching for nurses, medical students, and others?
  
  
  
  

  For the available information on screening programs in the OAE Portal, visit the In the World hearing screening section: