SHOEBOX QuickTest: The sound of successful innovation
09/22/2020
Over half of the Canadian population between the ages of 40 to 70 has measurable hearing loss, and the rate of hearing loss in Canadians between the ages of 70 to 79 is a startling 93%. Yet most people in the latter age range were not aware they were experiencing hearing loss. How can Bruyère offer our patients solutions if our patients may not even be aware they have a problem?
Working with local industry partner, SHOEBOX Ltd., Bruyère is proud to be an early adopter of the SHOEBOX QuickTest, an iPad-based audiometry screening tool, in our hospital. First validated at Bruyère’s Memory Program, the SHOEBOX QuickTest has now been implemented at the Geriatric Rehabilitation Program for all new incoming patients.
“A patient’s ability to hear and understand the care team is a crucial part of implementing our care plans. QuickTest makes sense, by allowing our care team to ensure that their mode of communication is optimized with patients. I’m pleased to be a part of a team at Bruyère that is piloting innovative tools that can have a positive impact on the healthcare system as a whole.” – Dr. Anne Harley, Geriatric Rehabilitation
Programs like these are a constant cycle of research, implementation, testing, and quality improvement. As auditory screening continues with patients, we are already starting to see similar numbers to the Canadian population in our data collection, and have been receiving qualitative information from both patients and physicians that indicate the positive impact this screening is having. The next iteration of research, innovation, and implementation begins, paving the way for better health care.