Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2025

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Comparison of efficiency of different self-assessment instruments for screening dysphonia
Priscila Oliveira1, Héryka Maria Oliveira Lima1, Maiara Dos Santos Sousa1
1Departamento de Fonoaudiologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Paraíba - UFPB - João Pessoa (PB), Brasil.
Purpose:
To compare the efficiency of different vocal self-assessment instruments for dysphonia screening.
Methods:
262 dysphonic and non-dysphonic individuals participated in the research. The mean age was 41.3 (±14.5) years. The diagnosis of dysphonia was based on the auditory-perceptual analysis of the sustained vowel "é" and on laryngological diagnosis. The responses of the instruments were collected: Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL), Voice Handicap Index (VHI), VHI-10, Voice Symptoms Scale (VoiSS), and the Brazilian Dysphonia Screening Tool, (Br-DST) called in Brazilian Portuguese Instrumento de Rastreio da Disfonia (IRDBR). To analyze assertiveness in relation to the presence of dysphonia, the cutoff points of each instrument and the decision rule recommended by the IRDBR were used. An exploratory analysis was performed to compare mean scores of instruments and verify associations between variables.
Results:
The instruments evaluated were sensitive to capture the impact of dysphonia in a similar way regardless of professional voice use and type of dysphonia. There was a difference only in VoiSS scores for the variable gender, with a higher score for females. Regarding global assertiveness, the instruments showed high rates of success in classification, with emphasis on the VoiSS, which had the highest rate (86.3%), followed by the IRDBR (84.0%), VQL (80.9%), VHI (78.2%), and VHI-10 (75.2%).
Conclusion:
The VoiSS has the highest assertiveness index in the identification of dysphonia, followed by the IRDBR. The IRDBR is a short, simple, and easy-to-apply tool for screening procedures.
Related Concept Videos
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Assessment of Airway, Skin Color, and Use of Accessory Muscles
Introduction
The initial evaluation of a patient's respiratory system...
Self-Report Tests of Personality
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Assessment of Ventilation II: Respiratory Depth and Rhythm
Respiratory depth measures the volume of air inhaled or exhaled during a breath. It can vary from shallow to deep and typically remains consistent when a person is at rest or asleep. Occasionally, individuals will automatically inhale deeply, known as sighing, which inflates the lungs with more air than normal breathing.
To assess respiratory depth, observe the degree of chest excursion or movement:

