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Hearing Implants Paediatric

Does your patient wish to be referred?

Minimum referral criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?

Category 1

Appointment within 30 days is desirable

  • Severe to profound bilateral SNHL in children with congenital deafness (< 4 years old)
  • Children with meningitis and sudden onset hearing loss
  • Children with significant vision impairment/Ushers’ Syndrome whose SNHL has deteriorated to severe to profound.

Category 2

Appointment within 90 days is desirable

  • Limited or no benefit from wearing hearing aids with the following:
    • Limited access to speech sounds / unable to meet prescriptive target gain with optimised hearing aids
    • significant speech and language delay
  • Children with progressive hearing loss who are aided with either of the following:
    • Upon recommendation of their hearing aid dispensing audiologist
    • Following significant deterioration in hearing thresholds
  • Single sided deafness
  • Severe to profound bilateral SNHL (acquired, progressive or in congenital deafness >4 years)

Category 3

Appointment within 365 days is desirable

  • Children transferring from another program
  • Over 4 years of age at time of referral
  • Chronic mixed or conductive hearing loss
  • Unable for medical reasons to use a conventional Air Conduction (AC) hearing aid in the affected ear (e.g., conditions such microtia/ atresia, skin conditions, chronic suppurative otitis media).

If your patient does not meet the minimum referral criteria

Consider other treatment pathways or an alternative diagnosis.

If you still need to refer your patient:

  • Please explain why (e.g. warning signs or symptoms, clinical modifiers, uncertain about diagnosis, etc.)
  • Please note that your referral may not be accepted or may be redirected to another service

Other important information for referring practitioners

Not an exhaustive list

  • Hearing Implant services are not available at all locations
  • Hearing implants may include cochlear implant(s), bone conduction implant(s) or middle ear implant(s).
  • Some services may offer only cochlear implants or bone conduction implants
  • Some services may offer post-surgery cochlear implant services only
  • Some services may not be funded for all referral types.  For example, cochlear implantation for single sided deafness is currently only available at the Queensland Children’s Hospital to children who meet eligibility criteria
  • Please note that a referral to audiology is required at the same time as referral to ENT for hearing implant.
  • Please refer to HealthPathways for information about the closest Hearing Implant service.
  • Chronic active ear disease will require adequate treatment prior
  • For children born deaf or with severe hearing loss, having a cochlear implant fitted before the age of 18 months can be vital for developing age appropriate speech and language skills

Queensland public hospitals do not dispense conventional or standard hearing aids. Aids for children, veterans, pensioners, ADF or NDIS participants with hearing needs are fitted by local audiologists via application to the Australian Government Hearing Services Program (Hearing service program). For non-eligible patients with a symmetrical mild, moderate or severe hearing loss, refer to a local private hearing aid provider.

Exclusion criteria – Middle Ear/ Bone Conduction Implant

  • Children with single sided deafness that are referred for the purpose of the contralateral routing of signal to the normal hearing ear. These children ear are not currently funded for support by Hearing Australia for the external portion of the device.
  • Children under 5 years of age
    • Not medically suitable for candidacy at < 5 yrs. due medical guidelines for children
    • Not yet eligible for candidacy via Hearing Australia
  • Children referred 16 years or older
    • As candidacy may take up to 12 months children over 16 may be too old for surgery through Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) by end of candidacy process and will therefore be redirected to an adult’s program.

Queensland Health Audiologists provide diagnostic hearing assessments which may result in a recommendation for hearing aids and/or an ENT opinion, but not the fitting of hearing aids.

Referral requirements

A referral may be rejected without the following information.

Essential referral information

  • Previous audiograms/ hearing test results
  • Concurrent ENT referral if referral is for candidacy assessment
  • Otological/ENT history
  • Social modifiers i.e. effect on home schooling, out of home residence

Additional Referral Information (Useful for processing the referral)

  • Results of aetiological investigations (include reports/proof, including genetic results as necessary)
  • Additional and relevant diagnosis, co-morbidities, disabilities and medical issues
  • MRI (Brain/ cranial nerves) and CT (Temporal Bone) results if applicable

Out of catchment

Metro North Health is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. Special consideration is made for patients requiring tertiary care or services that are not provided by their local Hospital and Health Service. If your patient lives outside the Metro North Health area and you wish to refer them to one of our services, inclusion of information regarding their particular medical and social factors will assist with the triaging of your referral.

  • Impact on employment
  • Impact on education
  • Impact on home
  • Impact on activities of daily living
  • Impact on ability to care for others
  • Impact on personal frailty or safety
  • Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

  • To establish a diagnosis
  • For treatment or intervention
  • For advice and management
  • For specialist to take over management
  • Reassurance for GP/second opinion
  • For a specified test/investigation the GP can’t order, or the patient can’t afford or access
  • Reassurance for the patient/family
  • For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

  • Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
  • Physical findings
  • Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
  • Body mass index (BMI)
  • Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
  • Current medications and dosages
  • Drug allergies
  • Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use

  • Full name (including aliases)
  • Date of birth
  • Residential and postal address
  • Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
  • Medicare number (where eligible)
  • Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
  • Preferred language and interpreter requirements
  • Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

  • Full name
  • Full address
  • Contact details – telephone, fax, email
  • Provider number
  • Date of referral
  • Signature

  • Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
  • Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
  • Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)
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