Opinion: Australia needs a national approach on detecting childhood hearing loss

Professor Greg Leigh, Director of the NextSense Institute and Chair of the Australasian Newborn Hearing Screening Committee shared an opinion piece on World Hearing Day which spoke to this year’s theme of broader access to ear and hearing care. Greg’s piece argues that there is an ethical imperative to act to prevent the long-term consequences of unaddressed hearing loss in older children, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children. He also cautions that any national approach to detecting hearing loss after children move beyond the newborn period should be based on the best possible evidence. Ensuring an evidence-based approach will avoid unintended harms, he says, and make a real and lasting difference to children with hearing loss and families. Greg’s piece was published as the Australasian Newborn Hearing Screening Committee began its annual conference in Hobart, and where this topic was on the agenda for discussion.