Universal newborn hearing screening program in Saudi Arabia: Current insight.

Newborn hearing screening (NHS) programs are essential to identify hearing loss early in life and to improve outcomes in children. In Saudi Arabia, the national NHS program has been operational since 2016; however, few studies have evaluated its status, and none have covered all provinces across the country. This cross-sectional retrospective study provides an overview of the program's status across all provinces, focusing on screening coverage rates, referral/fail rates, and follow-up procedures. In 2021, 199,034 newborns were screened, with a coverage rate of 92.6% and an overall referral/fail rate of 1.87%. These performance measures provide a foundation for future progress and improvements. This study highlights the importance of ongoing efforts to enhance the program's effectiveness and sustainability.

Outcome of Gastroesophageal Reflux Therapy in Children with Persistent Otitis Media with Effusion

Abstract Introduction Otitis media with effusion (OME) is considered one of the most common disorders that affect children during the first years of life. There are many risk factors of persistent middle ear effusion; one of these risk factors is gastroesophageal reflux. Association between persistent OME and gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERDs) could be explained by respiratory tract infections, insufficient ciliary clearance, and poor drainage of the Eustachian tube. Objective To investigate whether the control of gastroesophageal reflux plays a role in the management of persistent OME and decreases tympanostomy tube insertion Method A cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 children complaining of persistent OME. Their ages ranged between 5 and 12 years old. All children were subjected to full history taking, audiological assessment and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring. The study group was divided according to pH results into two groups: GERD positives and GERD negatives. Result The prevalence of GERD in persistent OME was 58%. There were statistically significant differences in the hearing levels and middle ear condition before and after the treatment (p < 0.05). The percentage of improvement of children complaining of persistent OME after antireflux treatment was 52%. Conclusion Gastroesophageal reflux disease should be considered in patients with persistent OME. The administration of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) can set aside superfluous surgical treatment (such as tympanostomy).

Teleaudiology practice in COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Objective: To evaluate the audiologists' attitudes and practice towards teleaudiology, as well as to assess the audiological services provided in Egypt and Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 112 audiologists who were recruited through convenience sampling . Multinomial logistic regression was used to test the association between practice of tele audiology as a dependent variable and some independent variables. Results: 25.4% of the studied sample were practicing tele audiology. Participants' age and attitude toward telemedicine were the independent predictors of tele audiology practice at p value ≤ 0.05. Conclusion: The tele audiology practice is essential. Therefore, raising the knowledge of audiologist about the great value of practicing tele audiology is very important, infrastructure, equipment, and technology especially telecommunication should be improved and facilitated for both audiologist and patients.

Outcome of Gastroesophageal Reflux Therapy in Children with Persistent Otitis Media with Effusion.

Introduction Otitis media with effusion (OME) is considered one of the most common disorders that affect children during the first years of life. There are many risk factors of persistent middle ear effusion; one of these risk factors is gastroesophageal reflux. Association between persistent OME and gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERDs) could be explained by respiratory tract infections, insufficient ciliary clearance, and poor drainage of the Eustachian tube. Objective To investigate whether the control of gastroesophageal reflux plays a role in the management of persistent OME and decreases tympanostomy tube insertion Method A cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 children complaining of persistent OME. Their ages ranged between 5 and 12 years old. All children were subjected to full history taking, audiological assessment and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring. The study group was divided according to pH results into two groups: GERD positives and GERD negatives. Result The prevalence of GERD in persistent OME was 58%. There were statistically significant differences in the hearing levels and middle ear condition before and after the treatment ( p < 0.05). The percentage of improvement of children complaining of persistent OME after antireflux treatment was 52%. Conclusion Gastroesophageal reflux disease should be considered in patients with persistent OME. The administration of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) can set aside superfluous surgical treatment (such as tympanostomy).

In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity? Analysing environmental attitudes in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A widely used media narrative suggests that the environment benefitted from the Covid-19 lockdowns. Numerous publications which came out following the lockdowns only reinforced this view by seeing Covid-19 as an opportunity to think more about the environment. However, these narratives are largely anecdotal, assumptive and pay little attention to the question of what people actually think about the lockdowns in environmental terms. To fill this gap, this study provides the empirical basis needed to either support or reject the aforementioned dominant narrative on Covid-19 and environment. Survey data (eighty questionnaires per country) were collected from participants in Cameroon (Buea), Egypt (Cairo), Italy (several major cities) India (Mumbai and New Delhi), and The Netherlands (mainly Amsterdam). The findings of this study reveal that generally, Covid-19 has not changed the way most people think about the environment. This is either because people were already pro-environmental before Covid-19, or people see Covid-19 and the visible environmental changes as temporal phenomenon. One other major observation in this study is the regional differences in environmental attitudes in relation to Covid-19. The least change in environmental attitudes was observed in high-income countries and the most change in low-middle-income countries. Therefore, the paper concludes that the importance of Covid-19 on a more sustainable future should not be overplayed or overemphasised. It will take more than a two-year break from normal living to mitigate environmental degradation. Accordingly, pro-environmentalism should focus on other intervention points.

Prevalence of Mild Hearing Loss in Schoolchildren and its Association with their School Performance

Abstract Introduction Hearing is important for the proper development of every child, especially for those younger than 5 years of age, because it helps in the development of language and speech. Emotional and social problems, as well as issues with academic performance, can result from hearing loss even of mild degree. Early diagnosis and management can overcome those negative impacts. Objective To determine the prevalence of mild hearing loss in primary-school children and its association with their school performance. Methods A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at a regular school. The study included the random selection of 120 apparently normal students (aged 6-9 years) who were considered as having normal hearing by their parents. A total of 20 students were excluded from the study due to the presence of wax in their ears. Finally, the study was conducted with 100 students. All participants were subjected to a basic audiological evaluation, and the Screening Instrument for Targeting Educational Risk (SIFTER) question- naire was given to their teachers to evaluate their school performance. Results From a total of 100 students, we confirmed that 23 (23%) had mild hearing loss, 17 (17%) had bilateral conductive hearing loss, and 6 (6%) had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The students who had low attention and communication performance were significantly associated with mild hearing loss. Conclusion The prevalence of mild hearing loss was of 23% (23 cases). This problem had an effect on the communication and attention in school; and it might affect academic performance later in life. A hearing assessment is highly recommended for every child, especially those who have a low rate of academic performance.

Prevalence of Mild Hearing Loss in Schoolchildren and its Association with their School Performance.

Introduction Hearing is important for the proper development of every child, especially for those younger than 5 years of age, because it helps in the development of language and speech. Emotional and social problems, as well as issues with academic performance, can result from hearing loss even of mild degree. Early diagnosis and management can overcome those negative impacts. Objective To determine the prevalence of mild hearing loss in primary-school children and its association with their school performance. Methods A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at a regular school. The study included the random selection of 120 apparently normal students (aged 6-9 years) who were considered as having normal hearing by their parents. A total of 20 students were excluded from the study due to the presence of wax in their ears. Finally, the study was conducted with 100 students. All participants were subjected to a basic audiological evaluation, and the Screening Instrument for Targeting Educational Risk (SIFTER) questionnaire was given to their teachers to evaluate their school performance. Results From a total of 100 students, we confirmed that 23 (23%) had mild hearing loss, 17 (17%) had bilateral conductive hearing loss, and 6 (6%) had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The students who had low attention and communication performance were significantly associated with mild hearing loss. Conclusion The prevalence of mild hearing loss was of 23% (23 cases). This problem had an effect on the communication and attention in school; and it might affect academic performance later in life. A hearing assessment is highly recommended for every child, especially those who have a low rate of academic performance.