Patient Completed Voice Case History Questionnaire – A Global Survey Among Otorhinolaryngologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

Case history has been the highest-ranked assessment in the diagnosis and classification of specific voice disorders. Standardized protocols have been developed for voice assessment; however, no standard questionnaire exists to collect case history data for people with voice disorders. The purpose of this survey of ENTs and SLPs is to identify questions to be included in a patient-completed voice case history questionnaire.
METHODOLOGY
Three hundred and sixteen questions identified in a recent scoping review of patient-reported case history questionnaires were consolidated by two independent investigators to identify the categories and subcategories. A final survey tool was developed, comprising 217 questions across the following categories identifying information, onset, vocal symptoms, vocal use, perception of problem, health status or medical conditions, associated symptoms, lifestyle factors, psychological factors, environmental factors, medications, treatment, and others. A cross-sectional Qualtrics-based global survey is ongoing among ENTs and SLPs through direct emails, circulation through professional groups, and social media platforms.
RESULTS
One hundred professionals from a wide range of clinical settings and experience working across over 20 countries responded to the survey. Most respondents worked with adults with voice problems several times a week. Overall, the importance of including a case history questionnaire was rated to be more than 70%. The most selected categories to be included in the questionnaire were perception of problem, onset, voice use, lifestyle, and medications taken.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings of the survey will help in defining a set of core categories and specific questions to be included in a patient-completed voice case history questionnaire. This will enable a better consistency of comparison of data between clinics across the world.