The Effectiveness of a Voice Treatment Approach for Teachers With Self-Reported Voice Problems

Teachers are considered the professional group most at risk of developing voice-problems, but limited treatment effectiveness evidence exists. We studied prospectively the effectiveness of a 6-week combined treatment approach using vocal function exercises (VFEs) and vocal hygiene (VH) education wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of voice 2006-09, Vol.20 (3), p.423-431
Main Authors: Gillivan-Murphy, Patricia, Drinnan, Michael J., O'Dwyer, Tadhg P., Ridha, Hayder, Carding, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Care and treatment
Diagnosis
Dysphonia
Endoscopy - methods
Faculty
Female
Fiber Optic Technology
Health aspects
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Measurement
Medical Treatment
Middle Aged
Occupational Diseases - therapy
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life
Risk Factors
Self-reported voice problems
Severity of Illness Index
Speaking
Speech Acoustics
Speech Therapy - methods
Surveys and Questionnaires
Teachers
Treatment effectiveness
Vocal Production
Voice Disorders
Voice Disorders - therapy
Voice Quality
Voice Therapy
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Summary:Teachers are considered the professional group most at risk of developing voice-problems, but limited treatment effectiveness evidence exists. We studied prospectively the effectiveness of a 6-week combined treatment approach using vocal function exercises (VFEs) and vocal hygiene (VH) education with 20 teachers with self-reported voice problems. Twenty subjects were randomly assigned to a no-treatment control (n = 11) and a treatment group (n = 9). Fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation was carried out on all subjects before randomization. Two self-report voice outcome measures were used: the Voice-Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) and the Voice Symptom Severity Scale (VoiSS). A Voice Care Knowledge Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), developed specifically for the study, was also used to evaluate change in selected voice knowledge areas. A Student unpaired t test revealed a statistically significant ( P < 0.05) improvement in the treatment group as measured by the VoiSS. There was not a significant improvement in the treatment group as measured by the V-RQOL. The difference in voice care knowledge areas was also significant for the treatment group ( P < 0.05). This study suggests that a voice treatment approach of VFEs and VH education improved self-reported voice symptoms and voice care knowledge in a group of teachers.
ISSN:0892-1997
1873-4588
DOI:10.1016/j.jvoice.2005.08.002