A systematic review and meta-analysis of screening and diagnostic accuracy for hearing loss among under-five children in South-Asian region

Abstract

Purpose Congenital hearing disabilities among children are associated with lifetime discrepancies in the attainment of speech, poor academic-performance, socio-individual isolation and emotional-maladjustments. The present study aims to combine evidence from randomized, controlled trials to assess the accuracy of hearing-screening procedures and relative diagnostic-tests concomitant with partial/permanent hearing loss (HL) among neonatal and under-five children. Design/methodology/approach The steps in this process were conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred-Reporting-Items-for-Systematic-reviews-and-Meta-Analysis) guidelines. The PubMed, ProQuest, Science-Direct, Cochrane-Library and secondary reference databases were searched. Analyses were carried out by using fixed/random-effects-models for calculating the summary estimates on hearing-screening and test-procedure. Meta-regression-analysis is performed to explore the influence of confounders on the net-pooled effect. Findings A total of 1,656 articles were identified, and 1,575 were excluded as they were not relevant to the purpose of the study. Further, out of 81 studies, 67 were excluded with reasons and 14 were included in the final analysis. Three independent reviewers have assessed the titles/abstracts for their potential relevance. The results from meta-analysis indicate that hearing-screening was significantly higher in the intervention group (n 8,102; OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.34, 0.79; p < 0.00001), as depicted via forest plot. Meta-regression analysis indicates a positive relationship between the age and effect size (regression-coefficient 0.638, 95% CI 0.005, 0.731; p < 0.05). Research limitations/implications The evidence from the present study can be used as reference for identifying the associated risk indicators, improved hearing-screening and reduction of hearing disability among under-five children. Practical implications The results of this review will be used for implementation of a new-born hearing screening, diagnostic accuracy and understanding the risk indicators for HL among under-five children in the South-Asian region. The evidence will be helpful for strategic directions for improved hearing screening and reduction of hearing disability among under-five children. Social implications By understanding the underlying dynamics of hearing-screening procedures, hearing-impairments can be identified at an early stage and required treatment can be provided to the children. Originality/value The findings of this study indicate that early detection, screening and diagnosis of the HL among the children, especially among the infants and new-born (0–2 years of age), will be of utmost importance in reducing the prevalence of HL, especially among the South-Asian region. This study can be used as a reference for other future studies in the area of hearing-screening, diagnostic accuracy and associated risk indicators among children.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers and Job Loss From a Gender Perspective in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The search was conducted in multiple databases such as PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar along with secondary references of included studies [ 8 - 10 ]. The search included keywords related to COVID-19, stress, healthcare workers, job loss, and men and women in India and articles published between November 1, 2019, and January 31, 2023.…”

“…Literature reviews, case studies, and qualitative research were disregarded because the meta-analysis only considered quantitative research. Studies published in languages other than English were excluded [ 8 - 10 ].…”

“…Data extracted consisted of the interventions used to address depression, stress, anxiety, and mental health among HCWs and job loss, and unemployment from the gender perspective during the pandemic in India. We also retrieved data related to the authors, year of publication, country, pandemic, design and method, participants, mental health issues, and in context to unemployment or job loss [ 8 - 10 ]. The search, data extraction, and quality assessment were completed independently by two content experts according to the inclusion criteria and confirmed using recommended criteria for RCTs and quantitative assessments.…”

“…The forest plot also shows Cochrane's Q statistic, τ2, df, I2, Z, and ρ value. The I2 statistic and funnel plots were administered to measure the publication bias and presence of heterogeneity between the included studies respectively [ 8 - 10 ].…”

“…Meta-regression analysis was performed to detect the sources of heterogeneity [ 8 - 10 , 27 , 28 ]. We took three different models based on: (i) depression, (ii) anxiety, and (iii) stress.…”