Voice Disorders Among Healthcare Professionals: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

Healthcare professionals including physicians, nurses, and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), audiologists, dentists, and others have occupations with high voice demand and have an increased risk for voice disorders. This review synthesizes prevalence estimates, symptom profiles, and diagnoses across three professions, and data were unavailable for two others.

A systematic search of MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, and EMBASE identified observational studies reporting the prevalence and types of voice disorders among the target groups, following PRISMA guidelines.

The review identified 4598 records, with 984 duplicates removed, yielding 3614 unique studies screened. Ultimately, 20 studies met the inclusion criteria, primarily employing cross-sectional designs across various regions. No relevant studies reporting on audiologists and dentists were identified. The prevalence of voice complaints varied significantly: among physicians and medical students, the 12-month prevalence of self-reported voice issues was 53%, while the average Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10) score was approximately 3.8. For nurses, point and 12-month estimates ranged from 9% to 37%, often averaging around 30%. SLPs and SLP students reported higher prevalence rates of 33% to 77% for chronic voice problems, with vocal fatigue affecting up to 71% of students. Clinician-diagnosed laryngeal pathologies were less frequent, at 5.1% in one cohort, with common diagnoses including reflux laryngitis and vocal fold nodules. Identified risk factors included high vocal load, extended work hours, and unfavorable working conditions. The variability in definitions and measurement approaches hindered comparability across studies.

Voice disorders and voice-related symptoms are reported commonly among physicians, nurses, and SLPs, with subjective complaints far exceeding clinician-diagnosed pathology. Data are not available for audiologists and dentists. Methodological heterogeneity and predominance of self-reported measures constrain prevalence estimates. Standardized definitions combined subjective/objective assessment, and longitudinal research is needed to characterize voice burden better and to establish prevention and workplace interventions.