SHOEBOX has been clinically validated for use as a diagnostic audiometer, even when testing is performed outside of an audiometric test booth. We have been included in various studies on the efficacy of tablet audiometry, conducted at some of the world’s leading institutions.
Validation Studies
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Validation of SHOEBOX QuickTest Hearing Loss Screening Tool in Individuals With Cognitive Impairment
Frank A, Goldlist S, Fraser A, & Bromwich M. Validation of SHOEBOX QuickTest Hearing Loss Screening Tool in Individuals With Cognitive Impairment. Front. Digit. Health. 2021 Sept; https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2021.724997.
SHOEBOX QuickTest is a valid hearing loss screening tool for individuals with cognitive impairment. Implementing this iPad-based screening tool in memory clinics could not only aid in the timely diagnosis of hearing loss, but also assist physicians in providing a better assessment of cognitive impairment by ruling out hearing loss as a confounding variable. -
Adult validation of a self-administered tablet audiometer
Mark Bastianelli, Amy E. Mark, Arran McAfee, David Schramm, Renée Lefrançois and Matthew Bromwich.
J. of Otolaryngol- Head & Neck Surg, 48, 59 (2019)
Three groups of adults were recruited from the Ottawa Hospital Audiology Clinic. For Group 1, the sensitivity and specificity were 96% and 100%, respectively compared to conventional audiometry. Group 2 participants had clinically equivalent word recognition results for 96.2% of scores. For test-retest (Group 3), the mean difference for the left ear was 0 dB (SD 2.1) and 0.1 dB (SD= 1.1) for the right ear.
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Accuracy of Mobile-Based Audiometry in the Evaluation of Hearing Loss in Quiet and Noisy Environments
Saliba J, Al-Reefi M, Carriere JS, Varma N, Provencal C, Rappaport JM.
J. of Otolaryngol Head and Neck Surg. 2016 Dec 1, DOI: 10.1177/0194599816683663 PMID:28025906
SHOEBOX Audiometry and a consumer app were compared to conventional audiometry in quiet, and 50 dB of noise in adults. Sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 95.9%, respectively, for identifying moderate hearing loss (40 dB PTA) in quiet. Compared to conventional audiometry 95.8% of thresholds in quiet and 91.3% of threshold in noise were within 10 dB.
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Accuracy of a Tablet Audiometer for Measuring Behavioural Hearing Thresholds in a Clinical Population.
Thompson GP, Sladen DP, Borst BJ, Still OL.
J of Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015 Nov;153(5):838-42. DOI: 10.1177/0194599815593737 PMID: 26183518.
SHOEBOX Audiometry administered in a quiet clinic room was compared to the results of conventional audiometry in a sound-treated room. Frequencies included 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz. A total of 95% of thresholds were within 10 dB of conventional audiometry. Sensitivity and specificity were 90% and 89%, respectively.
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The new age of play audiometry: prospective validation testing of an iPad-based play audiometer
Yeung J, Javidnia H, Heley S, Beauregard Y, Champagne S, Bromwich M.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013 Mar 11;42:21. DOI: 10.1186/1916-0216-42-21 PMID: 23663317
SHOEBOX Audiometry was validated against traditional play audiometry in 70 children and youth between the ages of 3 and 13 years. SHOEBOX Audiometry was found to have a sensitivity of 93.3%, specificity of 94.5%, a positive predictive value of 82.3% and negative predictive value of 98.1%.
Additional Studies
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Delivering an Audiology Outreach Clinic in Gujarat: Clinical observations and challenges
Davies, Jeff
Indian Journal of Otology, 2018, DOI: 10.4103/indianjotol.INDIANJOTOL_70_17
Audiology staff and students from De Montfort University delivered an audiology outreach clinic in Wankaner, Gujarat, with the aim of providing free audiological examination, hearing tests, and hearing aids to local residents with hearing loss. Over 2 days, 170 participants (aged 6–94 years) were screened. Pure tone audiogram hearing screening (0.5 kHz – 8 kHz) was performed using portable SHOEBOX audiometers calibrated to ANSI standards. -
HIV status and hearing loss among children between 6 and 12 years of age at a large urban health facility in south western Uganda
Nakku D, Nyaiteera V, Llowet E, Nanseera D, Nakalema G, Westerberg B, Bajunirwe F.
Int J Ped Otorhinolaryngol 2017; 101:172-177. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2017.08.011
Cross-sectional study evaluating prevalence of hearing loss in HIV positive children compared to HIV negative children, and the characteristics associated with hearing loss. The prevalence of hearing loss was similar between HIV positive (8.8%) and HIV negative (10.1%) children. A significant, positive association was observed between age, previous ear infection and tuberculosis treatment, and hearing loss.
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Prevalence of Hearing Loss in Teachers of Singing and Voice Students
Isaac MJ, McBroom DH, Nguyen SA, Halstead LA.
J Voice. 2016 Nov 10. pii: S0892-1997(16)30216-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.10.003 PMID: 27839986
SHOEBOX Audiometry was used to test hearing status of voice teachers and voice students to determine the prevalence of hearing loss within this population (n= 158). Hearing loss (30 dB at any frequency) was observed in 51.7% of teachers and 7.5% of students. -
Tablet Audiometry in Canada’s North: A Portable and Efficient Method for Hearing Screening.
Rourke R, Kong DC, Bromwich M.
J. of Otolaryngol - Head Neck Surg. 2016 Sep;155(3):473-8. DOI: 10.1177/0194599816644407 PMID: 27118819
SHOEBOX Audiometry was used as part of an elementary school hearing screening initiative in three remote communities in Northern Canada. All children were able to complete the test, independent of primary language. A total of 218 children were tested within the fours of testing including two examiners and three SHOEBOX Audiometry units.
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Mobile tablet audiometry in fluctuating autoimmune ear disease
Kohlert S, Bromwich M.
J. of Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. (2017) 46:18 DOI:10.1186/s40463-017-0195-1 PMID: 28270231
A case study of a patient with autoimmune inner ear disease included home testing with SHOEBOX Audiometry to monitor fluctuations in hearing status. A total of 64 audiograms were completed over a nine-month period at home. An additional nine audiograms were completed in clinic with SHOEBOX Audiometry.
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A new iPad application for hearing screening in children.
Ellaham N, Yilma Y., Jourdan G-V, and Bromwich M.
Canadian Acoustics. Vol. 39 No. 3 (2011) 118-119
This study describes the initial inception and subsequent development of the SHOEBOX Audiometry hearing assessment tool. Specific preliminary design considerations are covered including background noise monitoring and device calibration.