Congenital hearing loss is considered one of the most common congenital anomalies present from birth. Failure to diagnose this condition at an early stage and delays in implementing appropriate interventions can negatively affect children’s language and speech development, as well as their social, cognitive, and academic skills (Genç et al., 2005; Garabli, 2008). Among healthy newborns, the prevalence of congenital bilateral hearing loss is approximately 1–3 per 1,000. However, this rate increases to 2–4 per 100 in infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units (Tasci et al., 2010; Başar et al., 2007). Considering the high rates of hearing loss in neonatal intensive care units, newborn hearing screening programs have been initiated to ensure early diagnosis. Newborns suspected of having hearing loss after screening are referred for further evaluation, and necessary interventions are implemented early. It has been reported that infants who receive early diagnosis demonstrate language and speech development comparable to their peers (Eryılmaz et al., 2009).

During the early phases of newborn hearing screenings, the prevailing view was that screening should be applied only to infants with risk factors for hearing loss. Accordingly, initial screening programs targeted only high-risk newborns (Pappas, 1983).

In the study by Chu et al., it was reported that many newborns with congenital hearing loss did not present any identifiable risk factors; therefore, screening only high-risk infants would fail to detect approximately 50% of congenital hearing loss cases (Chu et al., 2003). For this reason, screenings limited to risk groups are insufficient for ensuring early diagnosis of all infants with hearing loss (Genç et al., 2005). Consequently, universal newborn hearing screening is recommended to reduce missed cases and increase the effectiveness of screening programs (Hyde, 2005).