Hearing screening techniques for referral purposes: Our experience from a rural setting

Background: Two thirds of the burden of hearing loss is predominantly in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization estimated about 642 million (10.6%) of the world′s population has any level of hearing impairment in 2005. It becomes, therefore, imperative to gather data for the purpose of planning prevention strategies for hearing impairment and for monitoring and evaluation of these programs at primary and national levels. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hearing impairment and report our findings on hearing screening in a rural setting. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 persons with hearing impairment were identified out of 650 seen with ages ranging from 3 to 60 years in a rural setting. They all had full clinical examination, tuning fork, and voice tests to assess hearing levels and otoscopy. Results: An overall hearing loss prevalence of 5.7% was observed, with commonest causes of hearing loss identified as febrile illness 48.6%, ear infections 32.4%, congenital and meningitis 8.1% each, and measles 2.7%. Conclusion: Prevalence studies and hearing screening programs are necessary to help formulate policies geared toward primary ear and hearing care. This will help reduce the burden of hearing loss as well as help to provide cheap and affordable hearing aids to the needy.