HEARING SCREENING AND FOLLOW UP IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Research Centre for Audiology and Hearing Rehabilitation,

Moscow, Russia

Recently neonatal hearing screening programs are widely introduced in several European countries, though their penetration differs from country to country in terms of the peculiarities of the country health care conditions, organization, and funding. Screening programmes are currently implemented in 21 hospitals in Russia, 7 hospitals in Hungary, 4 – in Lithuania, 4 – in Poland and 1 – in Romania. It is necessary to mention that really universal screening is performed in a few centres only, while in the majority of them high risk babies are tested. However, new-born screening must be considered to be the first part of hearing-impaired children habilitation programme, including facilities for diagnosis, assessment and treatment.

In some countries (Russia) the regulations on Hearing Screening of newborns and first-year-of-life children were issued. This document has the status of legislative act and determines all steps and time of screening stages and follow-up.