Roadmap to the Pathway | Pathway to the Symptom Tree | View the Symptom Tree
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Roadmap to the Pathway – What It Is and What It Is Not

What It Is

First-Step Insights
This Voice Disorder Symptom Tree for Patients is an organizational tool for classifying representative voice symptoms so patients can realize their voice issues are not to be ignored or just “something to live with” but that seeking voice care is important, if not imperative.

Focus on Voice Disorders
The focus is on voice disorders. A perspective is also given for throat pain and the role of the larynx in providing an airway for breathing.

Developed by Voice Care Physicians
The Symptom Tree is based on a parallel framework that voice care physicians use in their diagnostic work-up of voice disorders.

What It Is Not 
Not a Medical Algorithm
The Symptom Tree for Patients is not an algorithm for diagnosis or intervention.

Focus Is on Main Roads – Not on Multiple Connections and Intersections
Because of complexity, multifactorial voice disorders are not directly addressed as a separate category. Nevertheless, the Symptom Tree does provide a glimpse of multifactorial voice disorders.

What We Hope It Can Do
“Eye-Opener”

As a roadmap of commonly reported symptoms for voice disorders, patients can recognize when their voice complaints might belong to typical symptom clusters of voice disorders, thus motivating them to seek medical care and work with their physicians to achieve optimal care.

Informed patients make for better patient-physician partnerships – a key element in successful voice care.

Related Information

Anatomy & Physiology of Voice Production To learn more about the anatomy of the area that produces your voice, read Anatomy & Physiology of Voice Production.	Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention For information on tests and procedures commonly used for diagnosis and treatment, go to Overview of Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention.
Symptom Tree Use the Symptom Tree to learn about symptoms of voice disorders and/or to triage possible voice disorders based on symptoms.	Personal Experiences To hear actual narratives from people with a voice condition, go to Personal Experiences.

Red Flag

Any and all airway problems require immediate attention.

Patients should consult with their physicians to determine the appropriate course of medical treatment in their specific circumstances.

 Advisory Note

Patient education material presented here does not substitute for medical consultation or examination, nor is this material intended to provide advice on the medical treatment appropriate to any specific circumstances.

All use of this site indicates acceptance of our Terms of Service