Professional voice users

AIM: To describe what is known from scientific literature on the use of laryngoscopy to enhance singing pedagogy and foster improvements in vocal development. DESIGN: The scoping review methodological framework by Arksey and O'Malley was used. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic search was conducted and peer-reviewed scientific papers were screened through the Rayyan software. Data were extracted and synthesized thematically as narrative text. DATA SOURCES: Searches were carried out on January 2023 in the Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, ERIC, Scopus, Google Scholar, Embase and Academic Search Elite databases using relevant keywords to capture evidence, limited to peer-reviewed scientific papers in Nordic or English language...

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable bilingual version of the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) for the auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice in Catalan and Spanish speakers. METHOD: The development of this CAPE-V adaptation included Delphi methodology with 20 voice and speech experts reaching consensus on the optimal adapted terminology of the perceptual vocal attributes, considering also input from the original instrument authors...

Healthcare providers, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis, have been forced to make difficult decisions and have reported acting in ways that are contrary to their moral values, integrity, and professional commitments, given the constraints in their work environments. Those actions and decisions may lead to healthcare providers' moral suffering and distress. This work outlines the development of the Moral Distress Virtual Reality Simulator (Moral Distress VRS) to research stress and moral distress among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to is to develop a disorder-specific patient-reported outcome measure to be used in Islamic clergymen with voice disorders and to investigate its validity and reliability. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Employing an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, this study conducted in two phases. Initially, semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 clergymen experiencing voice disorders. Subsequently, the questionnaire underwent rigorous validation, encompassing content, construct, and criterion validity assessments, in addition to test-retest reliability and internal consistency analyses...

BACKGROUND: People living with severe mental illness (SMI) face significant health inequalities, including in palliative care. Advance Care Planning (ACP) is widely recommended by palliative care experts and could reduce inequalities. However, implementing ACP with this group is challenging. Electronic Palliative Care Coordination Systems such as Coordinate my Care (CMC) have been introduced to support documentation and sharing of ACP records with relevant healthcare providers. This study explores the use of CMC amongst those with SMI and aims to describe how those with a primary diagnosis of SMI who have used CMC for ACP, and makes recommendations for future research and policy...

BACKGROUND: Innovative digital solutions are shaping a new concept of dementia care, opening additional venues for prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. Hereby, we report the development of a tablet-based teleneuropsychology platform (Tenèpsia®), from concept to certification as Medical Device (MD) Class IIA, as per new MD regulation 745/2017. METHODS: The platform was designed for the remote cognitive evaluation and created thanks to the effort of a collaborative working group including experts from three Italian scientific societies and Biogen Italia S...

OBJECTIVES: Call center employees are professional voice users and use their voices extensively while performing their professional functions. The purpose of this study is to examine whether a higher occupational voice burden among call center employees affects voice fatigue and perception. METHODS: A total of 114 adult individuals working in call centers who were not diagnosed with any voice disorder (study group, n = 57) and who were not professional voice users (control group, n = 57) were included in this study...

Instant messaging applications, such as WhatsApp® and Telegram®, have transformed global communication, offering unique business models and minimal user expenses. Unlike traditional SMS, these apps facilitate unlimited, multimedia-rich communication globally, driven by widespread smartphone adoption. This shift not only broadens communication horizons but also enhances privacy compared to conventional voice calls. In healthcare, instant messaging, particularly unidirectional communication, proves impactful, evidenced by trials like TEXT ME and Healthy Text...

Brain health has recently emerged as an overarching concept encompassing cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioural and motor aspects of brain functioning, enabling individuals to achieve their potential for both health and wellbeing over their life course, independent of the presence or absence of disease.1 It is contingent on a continuous, complex interplay between interconnected determinants related to physical health, healthy environments, safety and security, learning and social connection, and access to quality services...

There has been a growing emphasis on consumer representation in the development of health policy, services, research, and education. Existing literature has critiqued how discourses of representativeness can disempower consumers working in health systems. The context of the current study is consumer engagement in the development of COVID-19 triage policy and practice in a local health service. Consumer engagement has often been an afterthought in the COVID response, with few examples of consumers in agenda-setting or decision-making roles...

OBJECTIVES: Social media plays an ever-growing part in modern life and is a frequent source of health information for patients. Singers are particularly likely to receive health information solely from fellow musicians and may experience barriers to seeking vocal healthcare. However, there have been no studies to date evaluating vocal health information on social media. Our study aimed to assess the quality, reliability, and accuracy of vocal health content on TikTok. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis...

OBJECTIVES: Voice disorders have been reported in up to 47% of the geriatric population. Few studies have assessed dysphonia in the elderly, with none examining vocal function in working seniors. This study aims to profile the clinical characteristics of individuals aged 65 years and older, comparing working and non-working seniors. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Medical charts were reviewed for patients aged 65 years and older referred to the McGill University Health Centre Laryngology Clinic (January 2018-March 2020)...

BACKGROUND: Embodied conversational agents (ECAs) are computer-generated animated humanlike characters that interact with users through verbal and nonverbal behavioral cues. They are increasingly used in a range of fields, including health care. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aims to identify the current practice in the development and evaluation of ECAs for chronic diseases. METHODS: We applied a methodological framework in this review. A total of 6 databases (ie, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, and Web of Science) were searched using a combination of terms related to ECAs and health in October 2023...

BACKGROUND: As the literature review suggests, most professional voice users, such as teachers and singers, are prone to vocal abuse or misuse and frequently experience vocal fatigue. Therefore, validating the Vocal Fatigue Handicap Questionnaire among professional voice users with and without the symptoms of vocal fatigue might provide appropriate external validity of the questionnaire. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to validate the Kannada version of the Vocal Fatigue Handicap Questionnaire (VFHQ-K) among a cohort of Kannada-speaking primary and secondary school teachers with and without self-reported vocal fatigue symptoms...

Technological tools allow for the reproduction and control of peculiar stimuli, such as the possibility of producing audio clips with the voices of deceased people. Artificial intelligence allows to create at-home vocal messages from an audioclip. Recently, some videos and documentaries depicting people interacting with artificial intelligence content related to the deceased have been released to the general public. However, the possibility of interacting with realistic stimuli related to deceased loved ones can create peculiar and delicate experiences and should gain the attention of the scientific community and mental health professionals...

Virtual assistants (VAs) are conversational agents that are able to provide cognitive aid. We developed a VA device for donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) procedures and compared it to live human coaching to explore the feasibility of using VAs in the anesthesiology setting. An automated, scalable, voice-enabled VA was built using the Amazon Alexa device and Alexa Skills application. The device utilized voice-recognition technology to allow a touch-free interactive user experience. Audio and video step-by-step instructions for proper donning and doffing of PPE were programmed and displayed on an Echo Show device...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether vocal hygiene education and direct vocal training would impact student self-reported preparedness for using voice for performance. STUDY DESIGN: A single-group, pretest-posttest research design was used. METHODS: Twenty-three drama students in middle and high school participated in a 1-hour vocal training workshop, which included vocal hygiene education and vocal training for performance...

The value of families and professionals in mental health care is well understood. Patient perspectives appear to have gotten less attention to date. This study investigated the perspectives of hospitalized mental health care users on the involvement of family members in their care using a qualitative phenomenological design. The participants with lived experience of family members being involved in their care were chosen using non-probability, purposive sampling. Individual interviews were carried out with the assistance of a voice recorder and observation notes...

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aims to explore the effectiveness of voice health education interventions among singers, particularly focusing on vocal hygiene treatment programs tailored for professional voice users. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Preferred Reporting Items on Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review. Comprehensive searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library databases...

BACKGROUND: People with a low socioeconomic position (SEP) are less likely to benefit from eHealth interventions, exacerbating social health inequalities. Professionals developing eHealth interventions for this group face numerous challenges. A comprehensive guide to support these professionals in their work could mitigate these inequalities. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop a web-based guide to support professionals in the development, adaptation, evaluation, and implementation of eHealth interventions for people with a low SEP...