Olusanya B O, Luxon L M, Wirz S L
Academic Unit of Audiological Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
J Med Ethics. 2006 Oct;32(10):588-91. doi: 10.1136/jme.2005.014720.
Screening of newborns for permanent congenital or early-onset hearing impairment has emerged as an essential component of neonatal care in developed countries, following favourable outcomes from early intervention in the critical period for optimal speech and language development. Progress towards a similar programme in developing countries, where most of the world's children with hearing impairment reside, may be impeded by reservations about the available level of support services and the possible effect of the prevailing healthcare challenges. Ethical justification for the systematic introduction of screening programmes for hearing in newborns based on the limitations in current primary prevention strategies, lack of credible alternative early-detection strategies and the incentives for capacity-building for the requisite support services is examined.
在发达国家,鉴于早期干预在最佳言语和语言发育关键期取得了良好效果,新生儿永久性先天性或早发性听力障碍筛查已成为新生儿护理的重要组成部分。在世界上大多数听力障碍儿童居住的发展中国家,由于对现有支持服务水平的担忧以及当前医疗保健挑战可能产生的影响,类似项目的推进可能会受到阻碍。基于当前一级预防策略的局限性、缺乏可靠的替代早期检测策略以及为必要支持服务进行能力建设的动机,对系统性引入新生儿听力筛查项目的伦理依据进行了审视。