Pediatric Screening Devices Help Drive Preventive Care Required to Ensure Long-Term Health and Wellbeing

Pediatric Screening Devices Help Drive Preventive Care Required to Ensure Long-Term Health and Wellbeing

AAFP Assembly, Washington, DC, October 20, 2014—According to a new report* from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), millions of children and teenagers are not receiving the basic preventive care needed to ensure their long-term health and well-being.  The data provides a baseline assessment for 11 key services, including screenings for developmental delays and hearing/vision loss—two conditions that can often be mitigated by early detection and treatment.  The CDC study suggests that screenings during early and middle childhood can identify the emergence of major chronic disease/lifestyle risk factors, yet during 2009 to 2010, 22% of 5-year-olds had never had a vision check.

To help address this, Welch Allyn, Inc., a leading medical diagnostic device company, recently introduced two new pediatric screening instruments that can easily screen the eyesight and hearing of children of all ages in a matter of seconds.  Designed to help quickly identify patients with refractive error and hearing loss, the Welch Allyn Spot™ Vision Screener and Welch Allyn OAE Hearing Screener will be on display at booth 1723 this week at the American Academy of Family Physicians 2014 Assembly.  Both solutions address the need for preventive screenings that can help to identify barriers that might impair a child’s ability to learn.

“Regular hearing and vision screening can help identify children who are in need of further evaluation, diagnosis and treatment,” says Rick Farchione, senior global category manager at Welch Allyn.  “Early identification and treatment can help prevent or at least alleviate many of the problems that result from impaired hearing or vision. Screening is the most practical approach to identifying children in need of professional services before more serious problems occur.  It’s the key to helping them reach their full potential.”

Spot Vision Screener

Obtained through the company’s recent acquisition of PediaVision Holdings, LLC, the Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener is a new generation of user-friendly vision assessment technology that transcends age, developmental capacity and mobility.  Spot is a fast, portable, easy-to-use binocular Vision Screener with wireless communication capabilities designed to screen for refractive error which can be associated with several ophthalmological conditions in patients of all ages.  The device complements the company’s existing vision screening technology, specifically, the Welch Allyn SureSight® Vision Screener and Autorefractor.

OAE Hearing Screener

The Welch Allyn OAE Hearing Screener is a portable, handheld device that delivers sounds into a child’s ear canal and measures the otoacoustic emission (OAE) response produced by outer hair cells in the cochlea.  Designed to detect hearing loss in newborns, infants, toddlers, preschool and school-age children, the device does not require patient response or practitioner interpretation of exam results.  The rechargeable, portable device features wireless Bluetooth® connectivity that enables automated patient data transfer to Data Manager software that lets users sort data and generate reports.

“Bundled or standalone, our new screening instruments give physicians a fast, accurate, objective response so their patients don’t have to,” added Farchione.  “But they are more than just state-of-the-art diagnostic devices—they are connected solutions for providers who will now be able to enroll even their youngest patients in early intervention programs to help mitigate the effects of vision and hearing loss.  In a matter of seconds, they provide data that the clinician can use to help improve patient outcomes.”