Individualized Patient Vocal Priorities for Tailored Therapy

Area of Science:

• Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Otolaryngology
• Voice Science

Background:

• Vocal priorities, or patient-valued voice attributes, are crucial for effective voice disorder management.
• Acoustic correlates of voice quality are important, but patient-centered priorities require specific investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the concept of vocal priorities based on acoustic correlates.
• To develop an instrument for determining individual vocal priorities.
• To analyze the pattern of vocal priorities in patients with voice disorders.

Main Methods:

• A 16-item Vocal Priority Questionnaire was developed through expert consensus and patient feedback.
• Exploratory factor analysis confirmed 4 domains: clarity, loudness, mean speaking pitch, and pitch range.
• The questionnaire demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = .824) and good construct validity.

Main Results:

• Vocal clarity was the highest priority for 61% of participants.
• Loudness, mean speaking pitch, and pitch range were highest priorities for 20%, 12%, and 7% of participants, respectively.
• No significant differences in priority rankings were found based on voice diagnosis or sex, though individual variation was noted.

Conclusions:

• The Vocal Priority Questionnaire effectively identifies patient vocal priorities.
• Incorporating vocal priorities into treatment planning enhances shared decision-making and may improve therapy compliance.
• Tailoring interventions based on patient-identified vocal priorities is essential for voice disorder management.