ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To map the phonatory tasks and the result measures used to evaluate vocal fatigue in vocally healthy individuals. METHODS: This is a scoping review based on the following research question: What are the phonatory tasks and outcome measures used for the evaluation of vocal fatigue in vocally healthy individuals? The construction of the search strategy followed the PCC strategy; population: vocally healthy adult individuals; concept: phonatory tasks and vocal evaluation measures; and context: vocal fatigue. The search was performed electronically in the databases Medline (PubMed), LILACS (BVS), SCOPUS (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate), EMBASE, and COCHRANE. A manual search in the references of the selected articles and in the journal with the highest number of publications was also performed. The selection of articles was based on reading the titles, abstracts, and full text, applying the eligibility criteria. The selected articles were related to the evaluation of vocal fatigue in healthy individuals from a predetermined vocal load task. Data regarding the characteristics of the publication, sample, phonatory tasks, and outcomes were extracted. The results were presented in a descriptive format, due to a frequency distribution analysis. RESULTS: In total, 3756 studies were identified during the search, of which 60 were selected. The most used vocal load activity was the reading task, with duration ranging from 46 to 120 minutes. The (1) sustained vowel /a/ and (2) the reading of texts and phrases, both in usual intensity and frequency without the interference of the researcher, were the most used evaluation tasks. The most used outcome measures are the following: (1) acoustic parameters-fundamental frequency [fo] (mean, variance), sound pressure level (mean), local jitter (%), local shimmer (%), cepstral peak prominence (mean); (2) vocal self-assessment by the validated instruments-Perceived Phonatory Effort Scale, Visual Analog Scale, Borg-CR-10 Scale. CONCLUSIONS: There is a diversity of phonatory tasks and outcome measures recurrently used in scientific articles to evaluate the signs of vocal fatigue in vocally healthy individuals. The most used vocal sample to evaluate vocal fatigue was the sustained vowel /a/ in habitual intensity and frequency without the interference of the researcher. The most frequently reported outcome measures for the assessment of immediate vocal fatigue effects were the acoustic analysis and vocal self-assessment.
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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and correlate the risk of dysphonia, the presence of vocal changes and their associated factors, and the vocal self-perception of transgender women. METHOD: Observational cross-sectional study in Brazilian transgender women. The analysis addressed their age, length of experience in the gender, perceptual-auditory and acoustic vocal aspects, scores in the General Dysphonia Risk Screening Protocol (DRSP-G), and the Voice Questionnaire for Male-to-Female Transsexuals (TVQ(MtF)). The sample was divided into two groups based on the grade of vocal deviation (Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice)-with (G.W.C.) and without vocal changes (G.N.C.)-to verify the association between the presence of vocal changes and other variables. The correlation between the grade of vocal deviation and DRSP and TVQ(MtF) scores was also verified. RESULTS: The sample included 32 transgender women with a mean age of 30.1 and 11.52 years of experience as females. Over half declared themselves Black, and a third of the sample did not have a defined profession. Use of female hormones was reported by 71.9%, the majority without a medical prescription. The mean grade of vocal deviation was 22, the dysphonia risk score was 43.47, and the TVQ(MtF) score was 59.46. Nasal and pharyngeal resonance was observed in 59.4%, and the mean fundamental frequency (f0) was 156.14 Hz. G.W.C. had a shorter experience living in the redesignated genre. The participants idealized more feminine voices than they currently had. The DRSP-G and TVQ(MtF) scores had a moderate positive correlation. CONCLUSION: The study sample had characteristics compatible with some degree of social and health vulnerability. There was a moderate impact of voice on their quality of life, and despite the high risk of dysphonia, there was a low occurrence of vocal changes. There was a correlation between the DRSP-G and TVQ(MtF) scores.
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OBJECTIVE: To propose a Dysphonia Risk Screening Protocol for Actors (DRSP-A), test its usability in conjunction with the General Dysphonia Risk Screening Protocol (G-DRSP), determine the cut-off point for a high risk of dysphonia in actors, and compare the risk of dysphonia between actors with and without voice disorders. METHOD: Observational cross-sectional study with 77 professional actors or students. The questionnaires were applied individually and the total scores were summed to calculate the final score of the Dysphonia Risk Screening (DRS-Final). The validity of the questionnaire was verified from the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, and cut-offs were obtained based on diagnostic criteria for screening procedures. Voice recordings were collected for auditory-perceptual analysis and subsequent division into groups with and without vocal alteration. RESULTS: The sample showed a high risk of dysphonia. Higher scores in the G-DRSP and in the DRS-Final were found in the group that presented vocal alteration. The cut-off points established for the DRSP-A and DRS-Final were 0.623 and 0.789, respectively, with higher degrees of sensitivity than specificity. Thus, above these values, the risk of dysphonia is greater. CONCLUSION: A cut-off value was calculated for the DRSP-A. This instrument was proven to be viable and applicable. The group with vocal alteration had a higher score in the G-DRSP and DRS-Final, but there was no difference in the DRSP-A.
ABSTRACT
RESUMO Objetivo mapear as medidas de avaliação vocal utilizadas para verificar o efeito da intervenção em indivíduos vocalmente saudáveis. Estratégia de pesquisa trata-se de uma revisão de escopo baseada na questão de pesquisa: "Quais as medidas de avaliação vocal utilizadas para verificar o efeito da intervenção em indivíduos vocalmente saudáveis?" A busca foi realizada de forma eletrônica nas bases de dados MEDLINE (PubMed), LILACS (BVS), Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate), Embase e Cochrane. Critérios de seleção a seleção dos estudos foi baseada na leitura dos títulos, resumos, palavras-chave e textos completos, aplicando-se os critérios de elegibilidade. Foram extraídos os dados relacionados às informações bibliográficas da publicação, características da amostra e da intervenção, os efeitos da intervenção nas medidas de autoavaliação, perceptivo-auditivas, acústicas, aerodinâmicas, eletroglotográficas, resultado do exame laríngeo, entre outros. Os dados foram resumidos e apresentados de forma quantitativa e descritiva. Resultados foram selecionados 97 artigos, entre os 979 estudos mapeados nesta revisão. A análise acústica foi a medida mais utilizada (n=70, 72,3%) para verificar os efeitos do treinamento vocal nos estudos selecionados, seguida pela eletroglotografia (n= 55, 56,7%), autoavaliação (n= 38, 39,2%), aerodinâmica (n= 33, 34,0%), julgamento perceptivo-auditivo (n= 22, 22,7%) e exame laríngeo (n= 16, 16,5%). Conclusão a análise acústica é a medida utilizada na maioria dos estudos para verificar o efeito da intervenção em indivíduos vocalmente saudáveis.
ABSTRACT Purpose to map the vocal assessment measures used to verify the effect of the intervention in vocally healthy individuals. Research strategy This is a scope review based on the research question: What vocal assessment measures are used to verify the effect of the intervention in vocally healthy individuals? The search was carried out electronically in MEDLINE (PubMed), LILACS (BVS), Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate), Embase and Cochrane databases. Selection criteria The selection of studies was based on reading the titles, abstracts, keywords and full texts, applying the eligibility criteria. Data related to the publication's bibliographic information, sample and intervention characteristics, the effects of the intervention on self-assessment, auditory-perceptual, acoustic, aerodynamic, electroglottographic measures, laryngeal examination results, among others, were extracted. The data were summarized and presented in a quantitative and descriptive way. Results 97 articles were selected, among the 979 studies mapped in this review. Acoustic analysis was the most used measure (n=70, 72.3%) to verify the effects of vocal training in the selected studies, followed by electroglottography (n= 55, 56.7%), self-assessment (n= 38, 39 .2%), aerodynamics (n= 33, 34.0%), auditory-perceptual judgment (n= 22, 22.7%) and laryngeal examination (n= 16, 16.5%). Conclusion Acoustic analysis is the measure used in most studies to verify the effect of the intervention in vocally healthy individuals.
