Newborns in Canada are routinely tested for thyroid problems and some rare genetic conditions, but doctors say not enough of them are being screened or followed for hearing problems.
In Canada, health care is administered by each province or territory, and care is uneven across the country. A report card issued by audiologists, pediatricians, and two advocacy groups says half of Canadian jurisdictions lack adequate screening for hearing, as well as long-term support and monitoring of children with auditory difficulties.
“Testing hearing is easy”
“Testing newborns’ hearing is very easy, very affordable and very accurate,” says Dr. Hema Patel, a pediatrician at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and a professor at McGill University. “Yet a majority of Canadian provinces and territories have not implemented comprehensive programs to identify hearing loss in newborns nor to provide early intervention.”
Grave consequences of hearing loss
Hearing loss is more common that all of the other conditions for which babies are screened put together. And the consequences of it left unattended are dire, says Patel. “What most people don’t realize is that hearing really isn’t about the ears. It’s about the brain. When the brain is not receiving auditory information…that part of the brain doesn’t develop properly. So children have long-term effects in their learning, in their socialization, in their communication.
Canada’s uneven testing ‘shameful’
When asked to compare Canada’s testing of newborns for hearing loss with that of other countries, Patel calls it “shameful.” She notes that in the United States more than 97 per cent of newborns are screened and have access to intervention if they have hearing problems. Even some poorer countries have better screening than does Canada.
While the provinces and territories have jurisdiction over their own health services, the federal government sets standards and requires governments to adhere to them. Patel wants the federal government to negotiate with the other jurisdictions to ensure that Canadian newborns have equal access to high quality, early hearing detection and intervention program.
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