PURPOSE: to investigate the rate of false positive responses in a hospital - based newborn hearing screening program (NHS), their possible causes and solutions. METHODS: during the period we evaluated 1,110 regular nursery newborns, age 6 to 48 hours with Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAEs), Echocheck, Ilodynamics Ltd model., at the nurseries, before discharge. In case of absence of response, the ear canal was manipulated. Infants that failed the screening were retested fifteen days after birth. RESULTS: 50.09% failed the first trial, then the ear canal was manipulated, and it decreased to 24.41%. This group showed normal TEOAEs at the retest time; Mean time of hospital discharge was 42,27h, thought 93% cesarian delivery; 98% double room and 2% single room status. The mean age of the "pass" group was 24.14 h (± 10.21) and the "fail" group 19.19 hours (± 8.43). 66.12% had less than 24 hours on the moment of the test. 4.9% were occluded with vernix. CONCLUSION: hospital trend toward "early discharge" after routine deliveries forces the audiologist to carry out the screening before 48 hours. High number of false-positives in NHS, must be seen as a Hospital Administrative Problem not only as a biologic cause, like the "vernix caseosum", and it is not related to the professional experience. Ear manipulation is strongly recommended.
Hearing; Infant, Newborn; Deafness; Patient Discharge
