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Developing Educational Health Modules to Improve Vocal Wellness in Mask-Wearing Occupational Voice Users
Victoria S McKenna1, Renee L Gustin2, Rebecca J Howell2
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio; Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Objective:
To develop educational modules to improve vocal wellness and optimize communication in mask-wearing occupational voice users.
Methods:
Module development focused on identifying accurate, understandable, and actionable steps to improve vocal wellness in the workplace. We i) interviewed eight voice-specialized speech-language pathologists and researchers on current speech and voice recommendations for mask-wearers, ii) developed educational content using the standardized Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), iii) assessed the ability of nine mask-wearing community members to learn educational content, and iv) compared behavioral, acoustical, and perceptual changes in four mask-wearing healthcare professionals following educational training.
Results:
We created three educational modules that described key vocal health and communication strategies, including microphone amplification, postural alignment, clear speech, hydration, vocal naps, and vocal warm-ups. PEMAT scores were 96% and 93% on understandability and actionability, respectively. Mask-wearing healthcare professionals increased use of 4 out of the 6 strategies following educational training and were able to retain information at rates >90% at 1-week follow-up.
Conclusions:
We developed a set of free-to-use educational modules to promote vocal wellness among mask-wearing occupational voice users (see VSMechLab.com). Future work should examine the impact of these strategies on voice measures in a larger group of mask-wearing community members.