Factors Affecting the Reliability and Agreement of Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice: A Scoping Review

Introduction: Auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice plays a crucial role in diagnosing and treating voice disorders. To perform the auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice requires speech therapists to rate the quality of voice in a subjective manner. Due to its subjective nature, performing this evaluation reliably and accurately remains a challenge for less experienced clinicians. The objective of this scoping review is to identify and map the available factors influencing the reliability and agreement of auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice.

Methods: The scoping review following the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was adopted. A search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, CINAHL Ultimate, EMCARE, APA PsycINFO, and a manual search was conducted.

Results: A total of 2613 electronic search studies were retrieved, of which 1128 studies were duplicated. The title and abstract screen was performed on 1485 studies, with 105 studies for full-text review. A manual search for references from eligible studies found 30 articles. One hundred and thirteen sources met the criteria for data extraction. Data extracted from the literature will be reported. Results will include publication information, study designs, and factors affecting the rater‘s reliability.

Conclusion: The scoping review will summarize factors that influence the reliability and agreement of the rater’s rating on auditoryperceptual evaluation of voice. These results will help clinicians, clinical researchers, and clinical instructors to develop training programs for clinicians with limited experience to improve their reliability and agreement when performing an auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice.