False positives in universal neonatal screening for permanent childhood hearing impairment

High rates of false-positive neonatal screens for permanent childhood heari ng impairment (PCHI) associated with raised hearing thresholds lead to unne cessary assessments of the baby, which may worry parents. False-positive ra tes need to be reduced, especially in view of the UK government's announcem ent that national neonatal screening will be introduced. We report screenin g criteria that give a six-fold reduction in false-positive rates.