Diagnostic Services

Newborn Hearing Screening

Hearing impairment is one of the most common abnormalities present at birth. It is 20 times more prevalent than phenylketonuria, a condition for which all newborns are currently screened. About 3 out of 1,000 infants are born with congenital hearing loss, many of whom are not identified until the second year of life.

How important is early diagnosis?
Hearing impairment must be diagnosed before the baby reaches 3 months of age. Late diagnosis results in significant delays in the child’s speech development and literacy. Studies show that hearing-impaired children who were diagnosed and rehabilitated before the age of 6 months had significantly higher receptive, expressive and total language quotients than those who were identified later.

How will my baby’s hearing be screened?
The Hearing Unit of Asian Hospital and Medical Center offers a state-of-the-art, non-invasive and safe hearing test called Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE).

Babies born in the hospital may undergo newborn hearing screening at the Huggery. Parents who wish to have their outpatient infants undergo the test may proceed to the Hearing Unit for more details.

OAE tests show whether parts of the ear respond properly to sound. In this test, a sponge earphone is placed into the ear canal. The ear is stimulated with sound and the resulting “echo” is measured. An echo is produced in people with normal hearing. Absence of an echo may indicate hearing loss.

The earlier your child’s hearing impairment is diagnosed, the better chance she will benefit from strategies designed to help her learn to communicate.

The Hearing Unit is located at the 2nd Floor of the Medical Office Building (MOB). For inquiries, please contact us at (63 2) 771-9000 to 02 ext. 8208.

The Huggery is located at the 3rd Floor of the hospital. For inquiries, please call (63 2) 771-9000 to 02 ext. 8347 / 8374.