Effectiveness Of Behavioral Voice Therapy In Patients With Dysphonia

Isabelle Schroeder

School Name

Governor's School for Science and Math

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Physiology and Health

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Dr. Martin-Harris; Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of South Carolina

Abstract

Dysphonia is caused by a variety of conditions; including vocal fold nodules, vocal fold paresis, and scarring. Treatment options for patients with dysphonia include medical or surgical management, specifically medication, injection, or excision, as well as behavioral voice therapy. Previous studies have shown that voice therapy is an effective treatment for improving voice function and reducing the recurrence of laryngeal pathology. In the age of healthcare reform, healthcare professionals must provide objective evidence of improvement in a patient’s status for insurance reimbursement purposes. This study assesses treatment outcomes in patients with dysphonia treated with voice therapy by a Speech-Language Pathologist at an outpatient facility. Necessary data was gathered by accessing electronic medical records of patients who had completed voice therapy within a six-month period. Data from three different voice assessment tests were collected; the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V), acoustic measures, and voice related quality of life (V-RQOL). The project goal was to determine the effectiveness of voice therapy using standardized perceptual, acoustic and quality-of-life measures in patients with various underlying vocal pathologies. This study provides further evidence to healthcare providers regarding the effectiveness of voice therapy in patients with dysphonia. Statistically significant improvement in patient scores was only found in the CAPE-V categories of overall severity, breathiness, strain, and loudness. Although no statistically significant findings were shown for acoustic or quality of life measures, trend analysis did reveal individual patient improvement in most cases. Therefore, behavioral voice therapy is an effective form of treatment for patients with dysphonia.

Location

Owens 107

Start Date

4-16-2016 11:45 AM

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 11:45 AM

Effectiveness Of Behavioral Voice Therapy In Patients With Dysphonia

Owens 107

Dysphonia is caused by a variety of conditions; including vocal fold nodules, vocal fold paresis, and scarring. Treatment options for patients with dysphonia include medical or surgical management, specifically medication, injection, or excision, as well as behavioral voice therapy. Previous studies have shown that voice therapy is an effective treatment for improving voice function and reducing the recurrence of laryngeal pathology. In the age of healthcare reform, healthcare professionals must provide objective evidence of improvement in a patient’s status for insurance reimbursement purposes. This study assesses treatment outcomes in patients with dysphonia treated with voice therapy by a Speech-Language Pathologist at an outpatient facility. Necessary data was gathered by accessing electronic medical records of patients who had completed voice therapy within a six-month period. Data from three different voice assessment tests were collected; the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V), acoustic measures, and voice related quality of life (V-RQOL). The project goal was to determine the effectiveness of voice therapy using standardized perceptual, acoustic and quality-of-life measures in patients with various underlying vocal pathologies. This study provides further evidence to healthcare providers regarding the effectiveness of voice therapy in patients with dysphonia. Statistically significant improvement in patient scores was only found in the CAPE-V categories of overall severity, breathiness, strain, and loudness. Although no statistically significant findings were shown for acoustic or quality of life measures, trend analysis did reveal individual patient improvement in most cases. Therefore, behavioral voice therapy is an effective form of treatment for patients with dysphonia.