Moderate hearing loss in 12-year-old missed in tests

A 12-YEAR-OLD with moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears was among 16 children whose impairment was not picked up by a clinician working in audiology services in the Health Service Executive (HSE) South.

A second 12-year-old with mild hearing loss in both ears also went undiagnosed, as well as a 16-year-old with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The remainder of the children, aged two, four, five, six, eight and nine, made up the 20 patients who went undiagnosed by an audiological scientist, who worked in community-based audiology services in Cork city and county between September 2001 and December 2007. The scientist also worked in Limerick briefly in 2002 and 2003, as well as in Tralee during 2005 and 2006.

A spokeswoman for the HSE said the majority of children in the review “had mild hearing loss or a degree of hearing loss in one ear” and “all those affected are now in receipt of the appropriate rehabilitation”. She said the hearing loss was not caused by the clinician “but rather the clinician failed to identify a degree of hearing loss, that in the opinion of the reviewers, was likely to have been there already”.

Mark and Monica White, the parents of toddler Hannah White, whose profound deafness was not diagnosed within the Cork Audiology Service, said they welcomed the findings of the Health Service Executive (HSE) South Audiology Review 2009, published today.

“We welcome anything that brings clarity to the situation,” the Mallow couple said.

However they expressed disappointment that they had not been contacted as part of the review, which referred to the work of one audiological scientist.

On foot of the review, which initially involved 1,238 patients, whittled down to 128 with some degree of hearing loss, the HSE has invested in a new premises at the South Ring Business Park in Cork city, which acts as a main base for audiology services.

Clinics still take place in Tralee Hospital and Limerick but a clinic at North Main Street in Cork city has ceased.

The number of clinicians in the paediatric audiology service has increased from 2.4 (one senior and one basic Audiological Scientist plus 0.4 Public Health Nurse) to four (one senior audiological scientist plus three audiologists); and from two to three audiologists in the adult service.

The HSE said clinical leadership is in place in Cork on an interim basis pending the appointment of the clinical director for HSE South, a post which will be advertising in the coming weeks. In addition, all audiological assessments and procedures now conform to the most up-to date British evidence-based protocols.

There are 1,786 children awaiting a first hearing assessment in the HSE South for a period of between two to three years. Five children are waiting two months for the first fitting of a hearing aid. The adult figures are 1,406 awaiting first assessment and 246 waiting two months for the first fitting of a hearing aid.