With the right tools, outreach becomes more than a single moment—it creates lasting understanding and sustained access to better hearing care. SHOEBOX isn’t just innovating hearing care—we’re reinventing where and how it happens.
Imagine living in a place where hearing care isn’t just hard to access—it simply doesn’t exist. For many of the 1.5 billion people worldwide with hearing loss, this isn’t a distant concern: it’s a daily reality. According to the World Health Organization’s 2021 World Report on Hearing, over 430 million people require hearing rehabilitation, yet most still go without, especially in low- and middle-income regions (WHO, 2021). SHOEBOX is changing this by redefining how hearing care is delivered. Our software-based tools break down barriers, turning almost any setting into a place where hearing health can be confidently addressed.
This mission came vividly to life through our Director of Audiology, Renée Lefrancois, who recently joined an outreach initiative to bring hearing care directly to remote communities. Equipped with SHOEBOX PureTest and QuickTest, Renée and the team of eight volunteers set up temporary pop-up clinics in areas without traditional clinical facilities. In these settings, SHOEBOX solutions made hearing care accessible, personalized, and practical, helping deliver much-needed services to people who would otherwise go without them.
Immediate Hearing Screening with SHOEBOX QuickTest
Designed for ease of use and speed, QuickTest’s touchscreen interface allows participants to navigate the screening independently. Test parameters are customizable, allowing providers to tailor the testing experience and outcome to the specific needs of their community. Supporting multiple languages and offline functionality, QuickTest ensures reliable performance across diverse and resource-limited settings. We’ve seen it successfully used in environments ranging from geriatric health centers, school gymnasiums, and mobile vans to community centers, making hearing screening accessible nearly anywhere. When Internet access is available, results sync seamlessly to the SHOEBOX web portal, simplifying follow-up care coordination.
The ability to collect contact details, guide participants to the next steps, and send results by email builds a bridge to ongoing care. QuickTest helped Renée’s team efficiently triage patients, often providing their first step into hearing care. It’s a scalable strategy that empowers providers around the world to make hearing screening truly accessible.
Comprehensive Evaluations with SHOEBOX PureTest
Once individuals with hearing loss were identified during screening, Renée turned to SHOEBOX PureTest to complete diagnostic follow-up testing on-site. With just an iPad and calibrated transducers, she provided accurate, clinical-grade assessments in temporary spaces without the need for a sound booth.
Early in the outreach initiative, several audiologists on the team fell ill, leaving a smaller group to handle a full schedule built for eight. Volunteers with little or no clinical background stepped in as test administrators using SHOEBOX PureTest—a software-based, tablet-operated audiometer designed for diagnostic hearing testing in any environment. These volunteers were trained to administer the self-guided automated test, which allowed them to contribute meaningfully without clinical expertise. PureTest’s automated testing mode and guided protocols kept assessments consistent and clinically accurate, allowing the remaining audiologists to focus on diagnosing hearing loss and fitting hearing aids. Despite the unexpected challenges, the team completed most, if not all, scheduled appointments thanks to PureTest’s user-friendly design.
Renée tested and reviewed results on-site without relying on traditional clinical infrastructure. In other outreach programs, PureTest has proven equally effective in mobile vans, rural schools, and other non-traditional, low-resource settings. Its ability to function offline, combined with state-of-the-art ambient noise monitoring, ensures providers can work confidently in a wide range of environments, bringing high-quality, personalized care wherever it’s needed most.
At the end of each clinic day, participants left with real answers, a clearer picture of their hearing health, and in some cases, newly-fitted hearing aids. This kind of immediate insight, delivered with compassion and backed by clinical-grade tools, makes PureTest a powerful addition to any hearing care effort.
Building Sustainable Hearing Health
Community outreach isn’t just about offering care for a day—it’s about creating momentum for lasting change. At SHOEBOX, we believe hearing health should be within reach for everyone, no matter where they live. That’s why PureTest and QuickTest are built to bring care directly to people, even in places where access to traditional audiology services is limited or unavailable.
Renée’s experience shows what becomes possible when clinicians are equipped to meet people where they are. Whether it’s a remote community or an underserved neighborhood, these moments of connection can spark real, sustained improvements in hearing health.
Meeting the Challenge Together: Where Need Meets What’s Possible
Closing the global hearing care gap requires adaptable, scalable solutions grounded in real-world challenges. While international outreach is essential, millions of Americans face similar barriers to care. SHOEBOX empowers clinicians, medical assistants, and others to deliver testing in community spaces that might otherwise go unserved. Whether through mobile clinics, community partnerships, or outreach missions like Renée’s, SHOEBOX solutions are helping providers deliver care where it’s needed most.
PureTest and QuickTest represent a growing shift in how hearing care is delivered around the world. By equipping clinicians with smart, accessible tools, we’re helping make better hearing a reality—not just in principle but in everyday practice.
- World Health Organization. (2021). World Report on Hearing. Geneva: World Health Organization. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.- http://who.int/publications/i/item/9789240020481
