Universal hearing screening in the NICU: the Loma Linda University Children's Hospital experience.

The most common birth defect in the U.S. today is hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound. Even mild hearing impairment seriously affects language, speech, and cognitive development. Early identification and intervention lead to improved communication skills, which positively impact psychosocial, educational, and vocational development. Loma Linda University Children's Hospital NICU has implemented a program consistent with the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing's 1994 position statement, which advocates universal detection of infants with hearing loss, and with the National Institutes of Health 1993 position statement on early identification of hearing impairment in infants and young children, which recommends screening all infants admitted to NICUs for hearing loss prior to discharge. This article discusses the process of change required to meet these goals and outlines areas for further evaluation and change.