Hearing is one of the main forms of connection between human being and the environment; however, hearing loss is still diagnosed very late in Brazil, which directly interferes with the child's development. AIM: The aim of this study was to check the knowledge pediatricians and gynecologists have about the risk factors for the deafness, the way they acquired such knowledge and parent education about the subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 119 doctors from three public hospitals of the city of Recife. An interview was applied, before and after the educational campaign on the matter. The study was descriptive, cross-sectional, case series-type. Data analysis was descriptive and inferential. RESULTS: The results showed that only 3 of the 18 hearing loss risk factors listed had gotten answers above 50% in the initial stage of the study and 53.84% of the professionals educated the families. All the answers had increased in the second stage. CONCLUSION: The results emphasize the need to pay more attention to this matter; therefore, primary care is an inexpensive and efficient way to fight hearing loss.
hearing; hearing loss; public health
