Abstract
BackgroundWith 17 babies born with hearing loss every day in South Africa, there is a pressing need for systematic Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) services. Progress is being made in offering newborn hearing screening and studies have been conducted to document these processes within South Africa. However, due to the lack of a national and holistic overview of EHDI services to date, an accurate picture of the current status of EHDI within the South African context is required.ObjectiveTo document and profile what has been published within the field of EHDI in South Africa over the last two decades (Jan 1995–Sept 2014) in order to gain a comprehensive overview of the current status and practice of screening and diagnosis in the field of paediatric hearing loss.MethodA narrative review of peer-reviewed articles related to EHDI in South Africa was conducted by searching the EBSCOHOST, SCOPUS and JSTOR databases for the period January 1995 to September 2014.ResultsResults indicate that over the last two decades research and publications in the field of EHDI have increased considerably. These publications have revealed extensive knowledge related to paediatric hearing screening and intervention services in South Africa; however, this knowledge seems to be limited primarily to the provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape. Furthermore, studies pertaining to diagnosis have revealed that, although much has been written on the scientific aspects on tools for diagnosis of hearing loss, there is a lack of comprehensive information on diagnostic protocols and procedures.ConclusionDespite the clear progress being made in South Africa in the field of early hearing detection and intervention, there is a need for comprehensive studies on protocols and procedures in diagnosing paediatric hearing loss. Finally, the narrative review revealed a clear need to ensure that development and growth in the field of EHDI is a national priority and extends beyond the two provinces currently showing growth.
Highlights
South Africa is estimated to have 16–17 babies with hearing loss born daily (Swanepoel, 2008) and despite having no legislation in place, awareness of the importance of early detection of hearing loss, followed by appropriate intervention, is growing
43 peer-reviewed articles were identified in the field of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) in South Africa for the period January 1995 to September 2014
Two articles (Swanepoel, 2006; Swanepoel & Störbeck, 2008) could not be classified into one of the four areas, as one was an article describing the profession of audiology and the other was an overview article describing EHDI knowledge (Table 2)
Summary
South Africa is estimated to have 16–17 babies with hearing loss born daily (Swanepoel, 2008) and despite having no legislation in place, awareness of the importance of early detection of hearing loss, followed by appropriate intervention, is growing. Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) describes the pathway from infant screening for hearing loss to the subsequent process of diagnosis and intervention. In response to the international drive for effective and early EHDI programmes, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) published a position statement in 2007 This statement describes internationally benchmarked indicators of screening at birth, amplification by three months and enrolment in early intervention by six months of age (as published in Joint Committee on Infant Hearing [JCIH], 2007) and provides the South African benchmarks of screening by four months, appropriate amplification by six months and enrolment in an early intervention programme by no later than eight months of age (Health Professions Council of South Africa [HPCSA], 2007). Due to the lack of a national and holistic overview of EHDI services to date, an accurate picture of the current status of EHDI within the South African context is required
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