Objective: To inventory provision and features of childhood hearing screening after the newborn period (CHS), primarily in Europe.
Design: From each participating country or region, experts provided information through an extensive questionnaire: implementation year, age at screening, test method, pass criteria, screening location, screener profession, and quality indicators: coverage, referral, follow-up and detection rates, supplemented by literature sources.
Study sample: Forty-two European countries or regions, plus Russia, Malawi, Rwanda, India, and China.
Results: CHS was performed universally with pure-tone audiometry screening (PTS) in 17 countries or regions, whereas non-universal CHS was performed in eight with PTS or whisper tests. All participating countries with universal PTS had newborn hearing screening. Coverage rate was provided from three countries, detection rate from one, and referral and follow-up rate from two. In four countries, universal PTS was performed at two ages. Earliest universal PTS was performed in a (pre)school setting by nurses (n = 9, median age: 5 years, range: 3-7), in a healthcare setting by doctors and nurses (n = 7, median age: 4.5 years, range: 4-7), or in both (n = 1).
Conclusions: Within universal CHS, PTS was mostly performed at 4-6 years by nurses. Insufficient collection of data and monitoring with quality indicators impedes evaluation of screening.
Keywords: Pre-school-age hearing screening; childhood hearing impairment; early detection; screening outcome; screening protocol.