title: Newborn hearing screening in Hawaii.
abstract: Hawaii has been a pioneer and national leader in implementing universal newborn hearing screening. In fact, Hawaii is one of only two states (Rhode Island is the other) which have a statewide newborn hearing screening program in which 95% or more of all newborns are screened. Hawaii is the best example of a truly integrated system of services to provide effective intervention for all infants and toddlers who are identified as having a hearing loss. The success of the newborn hearing screening program is measurable in two ways: 1) all available information indicates that not a single infant with hearing loss has been missed by the screening process and not a single infant has been misdiagnosed as having a hearing loss; and 2) many of the children identified with hearing loss by the newborn hearing screening program have transitioned out of the early intervention program with age-appropriate developmental and communication skills. The success of Hawaii's program is a tribute to the enthusiastic support and collaboration of legislators, pediatricians, hospital staff, and DOH personnel.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Hearing Assessment & Management, Utah State University, USA.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Kuntz
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Sia
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D006254:Hawaii / Q000453:epidemiology; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015997:Neonatal Screening