The hearing test measures whether your baby hears well enough to learn to talk properly. This is important for your baby's development. If hearing loss is detected early, treatment can begin quickly. The earlier treatment begins, the better your child may be able to learn to talk.

The hearing test usually takes place at your home during the first week after birth. During the same home visit, your baby will typically also undergo the heel prick test.

In parts of South Holland and Gelderland, the hearing test is conducted at the Well-Baby Clinic when the baby is a few weeks old. You will receive an invitation for this.

If your baby is in hospital, the hearing test will be done once your baby returns home.

Please inform the Well-Baby Clinic when your baby returns home from the hospital. If your baby has been in the hospital for an extended period, the test can be conducted there. The Well-Baby Clinic will contact you about this. If you have not heard anything within a week, please contact the Well-Baby Clinic yourself.

If your baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the hearing test will be done there.

The screener places a soft plug in your baby's ear. This plug emits a soft sound into the ear. A healthy ear will respond with a sound. The plug then picks up this sound. The plug is connected to a measuring device. This device indicates whether your baby hears well enough. The test takes just a few minutes and is painless. Your baby will hardly notice it and will usually continue sleeping peacefully.

You do not have to prepare anything. However, the room should be quiet during the test. The hearing test works best when your baby is asleep or calm. Your baby can remain in bed or in your arms.

You can find videos on how the hearing test is conducted at https://www.pns.nl/prenatal-and-newborn-screening/newborn-hearing-screening.

You will receive the result of the hearing test immediately. In about 95 out of 100 newborns, the hearing test will show a sufficient response. If the response is insufficient, the test will be repeated after one week.

An insufficient response does not necessarily mean that your baby is not hearing well. If the second hearing test also shows an insufficient response, a third test will be conducted after another week, using a different device.

If the results of the third test again indicate insufficient hearing in one or both ears, then your baby’s hearing will be further examined at an audiological centre. Audiological centres specialise in hearing, speech and language research. The screener will give you more information about this.

To conduct the hearing test, we need data from you and your child. This may include your name, address and place of residence and the length of the pregnancy. The Well-Baby Clinic stores this data in a special information system dedicated to hearing tests for babies. This data is necessary to track whether all children receive the hearing test on time, to record the results and to determine if further investigation is necessary.

The data may also be used for national statistics and scientific research. In these cases, the data is anonymised, meaning it cannot be linked to a specific child. If personal data is required for research purposes, parental consent is always obtained beforehand.

The results of the hearing test are also added to your child's digital medical record at the Well-Baby Clinic. Read more about this medical record at www.ddjgz.nl.

The information system for the hearing test is secure. Only staff members from the Well-Baby Clinic who need your data to conduct the hearing test have access to this information.

If you prefer not to have your or your child's data stored in an information system, please visit www.pns.nl/gehoortest/juridische-informatie to see what your options are.

Register your baby's birth with the Civil Affairs department of your municipality as soon as possible, and no later than three days after birth. This will ensure your baby receives the hearing test on time. Some municipalities offer online registration.

Before conducting the hearing test, the screener will ask for your consent.

You do not have to pay for the hearing test. If further examination is required for your baby, it will be covered by your care insurer.

If the result of the hearing test is sufficient, you can be almost certain that your child's hearing is functioning adequately at that moment. Very occasionally, a child may develop hearing impairment after the test. If you have concerns about your child's hearing, please contact your GP or the Well-Baby Clinic.

• If you have a complaint about how the hearing test was conducted for your baby, please contact the organisation that conducted the test.
• For other complaints, visit https://www.rivm.nl/en/contact for information on RIVM's complaint procedure.