TRANSIENT EVOKED OTOACOUSTIC EMISSION-BASED SCREENING IN TYPICAL NURSERIES - A RESPONSE TO JACOBSON AND JACOBSON

Jacobson and Jacobson (Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol. 29 (1994) 23 5-248) recently questioned whether TEOAE-based newborn hearing screeni ng similar to what was recommended by the National Institutes of Healt h could be implemented in a typical nursery setting. They concluded th at, 'the theoretical advantage of TEOAEs as a method for screening new born babies at risk for hearing loss may not be realized in acute prac tice.' This article presents data based on dozens of currently operati onal TEOAE-based newborn hearing screening programs which demonstrate that the concerns raised by Jacobson and Jacobson are not representati ve of what is being experienced by operational newborn hearing screeni ng programs.