Feasibility and Reliability of a Novel Game-Based Test of Neurological Function in Youth: The Equilibrium Test Battery.
Heather A Shepherd, Cody R van Rassel, Amanda M Black and 4 others
PMID 35391865WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents completed this game-based neurological test independently, but scores varied widely between days.
Reliability was poor to moderate, meaning single scores are not stable enough for clinical decisions. Practice effects were prominent early on.
Key findings
01Most participants could complete the test battery independently without assistance, and no adverse events were reported.
02Test-retest reliability across multiple days was poor to moderate, with wide limits of agreement.
03Performance on timed subtests improved from the first to the second administration, indicating a learning effect.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was conducted in a classroom setting, which may have introduced distractions and reduced effort compared to a controlled clinical environment. Participants were not blinded to the study purpose, and the voluntary nature of recruitment may have introduced selection bias. The sample included high-performance athletes, whose results may not generalize to the general adolescent population. Attrition was high, with only 5% of participants completing all 15 testing days. The study was not adequately powered to compare performance between different school types.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Highmark Interactive, the developer of the HIEQ application. Highmark Interactive was blinded to the test data throughout the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use this game-based test battery for clinical decision-making or return-to-sport clearance based on single scores. The poor-to-moderate reliability and significant learning effects mean that a single score is not a stable measure of neurological function.