Professional voice users

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Professional voice users of any age are often concerned about nodules, particularly in pediatric singers. However, an accurate diagnosis allows formulation of an optimal management plan and a successful continuation of these young patients' careers. There is very little literature regarding pediatric professional singers; we aimed to share our experience of over a decade of referrals to our tertiary pediatric voice clinic. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective review...

BACKGROUND: The medical teams in intensive care units (ICUs) spend increasing amounts of time at computer systems for data processing, input, and interpretation purposes. As each patient creates about 1000 data points per hour, the available information is abundant, making the interpretation difficult and time-consuming. This data flood leads to a decrease in time for evidence-based, patient-centered care. Information systems, such as patient data management systems (PDMSs), are increasingly used at ICUs...

PURPOSE: Intensive voice use may lead to the development of voice disorders or voice complaints, such as vocal fatigue, for professional voice users (teachers, academics, call center workers, actors, singers, speech and language therapists, voice trainers, and religious officials). Vocal fatigue has a detrimental effect on occupational, emotional, and social performance, besides the quality of life of the individual. The effect of voice hygiene interventions on voice fatigue is not fully known...

Vocal fatigue is known as a hyperfunctional voice disorder that can lead to other conditions, such as muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). Speech and language pathologists (SLPs) are professional voice users who may suffer from vocal fatigue due to heavy vocal demands. This study aimed at investigating the cepstral and perceptual dimensions of voice and their correlation in the SLPs with vocal fatigue. Twenty-six SLPs and senior speech therapy students (mean age = 27.11 ± 6.8 yrs), including men (n = 5) and women (n = 21), participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study...

BACKGROUND: Teachers are professional voice users, and the vocal demands in the teaching profession can be considered unique. All teachers will wish to possess a voluminous, strongly-carrying voice that can be maintained for a prolonged time. This necessitated the need to understand and document the voice-acoustic characteristics of teachers. OBJECTIVES: The specific objectives were to (a) investigate the acoustic characteristics of teachers' voices, (b) compare voice acoustic characteristics between female and male teachers, and (c) compare acoustic characteristics of voice between teachers and nonteachers...

OBJECTIVE: In this communication article, we discuss coproduction in suicide prevention research, with an emphasis on involving young people. We critically reflect on the lessons we have learned by working alongside young people, and how these lessons may be useful to other research teams. SUMMARY: The meaningful involvement of young people in the design, implementation and translation of mental health research has received significant attention over the last decade...

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is responsible for a paradigm shift in medicine. OpenAI's recent augmentation of their Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) large language model (LLM) with voice and image recognition capabilities (OpenAI, Delaware) presents another potential transformative tool for healthcare. Envision a healthcare setting where professionals engage in dynamic interactions with ChatGPT to navigate the complexities of atypical medical scenarios. In this innovative landscape, practitioners could solicit ChatGPT's expertise for concise summarizations and insightful extrapolations from a myriad of web-based resources pertaining to similar medical conditions...

Background: Despite high reported prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), women report difficulties accessing evidence-based and reliable information about the condition. Many rely on social media and other popular and highly visible internet platforms which have been found to contain poor quality information that is difficult for the average patient to understand. The aim of the study is to co-design a national information website for women with POP. The website design will be based on the Website Developmental Model for the Healthcare Consumer (WDMHC) framework...

Introduction: Thermal injury to recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) during radiofrequency ablation (RFA) can produce temporary or permanent vocal cord paralysis.1 Hydrodissection with cold 5% glucose of "danger triangle" protects RLN during RFA.2 When RFA is performed under local anesthesia, RLN function is monitored by patients producing vocal sounds.3 Large lesions requiring longer RFAs warrant general sedation where voice cannot be assessed, therefore, an additional technique for RLN protection is advisable...

INTRODUCTION: Goals of voice therapy and vocal pedagogy share similar principles and therefore, therapy approaches designed to improve the disordered voice may be equally effective when used to enhance healthy voice and vice versa. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of flow phonation voice exercises on vocal characteristics of students in undergraduate vocal music training programs and examine their potential use in vocal pedagogy. METHODS: A total of 10 cis females were recruited and were randomized into two groups: an experimental group (group 1, n = 6) receiving five sessions of flow phonation intervention across 5 weeks; and a control group (group 2, n = 4) that did not receive any direct intervention other than vocal hygiene education...

OBJECTIVE: Speech signal processing has become an important technique to ensure that the voice interaction system communicates accurately with the user by improving the clarity or intelligibility of speech signals. However, most existing works only focus on whether to process the voice of average human but ignore the communication needs of individuals suffering from voice disorder, including voice-related professionals, older people, and smokers. To solve this demand, it is essential to design a non-invasive repair system that processes pathological voices...

ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: People with mental health problems are often left behind, forgotten and excludedLittle is known or written from a service user perspective about experiences of psychiatry, mental health nursing, Mental Health Tribunals and alternative approaches (such as counselling, peer support, psychological and recovery approaches, cognitive behavioural therapy-CBT and creative/art/music/drama/horticultural/dance therapies). WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This paper aims to remedy this gap in knowledgeIt focuses on positive and negative experiences of psychiatry, Mental Health Tribunals and alternative treatments from a service user's perspective...

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) implementation at any level is a multifaceted process that requires selection of relevant and appropriate systems to suit individual users who may have complex communication needs and other co-occurring difficulties. Careful and systematic action may be required to develop skills and abilities in the use of chosen technologies with suitable ongoing support within a wide range of settings. The wider milieu in which services are provided must also be considered in order to provide a firm foundation for capacity building alongside considerations for multilingual and multicultural factors...

The finding of minimal laryngeal dysfunctions in professional voice users is essential to prevent the onset of organic vocal pathologies. The purpose of this study is to identify an objective parameter that supports the phoniatric evaluation in detecting minimal laryngeal dysfunctions in singers. 54 professional and non-professional singers have been evaluated with laryngostroboscopy, Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (MDVP), Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI), maximum phonation time (TMF), minimum intensity of sound emission (I-min), maximum frequency (F-max), voice handicap index (VHI), singing voice handicap index (SVHI), manual phonogram and audiometric examination...

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Some rheumatology patients use or contemplate using cannabis, however, may not be transparent about use with their providers. The objective of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe beliefs, perceptions, and learning needs of adults with rheumatic conditions regarding the use of cannabis products. METHODS: Purposive sampling was conducted through a rheumatology clinic and sought participants who were using or thinking about using cannabis...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Voice hygiene, including proper hydration and limiting phonotraumatic behaviors and refluxogenic foods when appropriate, is essential to voice care for singers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate voice care practices, knowledge, and factors correlating with improved voice hygiene and knowledge in adolescents, an understudied demographic within the singing population. METHODS: 214 high school choir singers, ages 14 through 18, responded to a voice health questionnaire, which included questions about phonotraumatic behaviors and other lifestyle measures regarding voice care, perceived knowledge of the voice, and potential correlational factors such as past singing experience, having a friend or family member when is a professional voice user or possesses an in-depth knowledge of the voice, use of the Internet to sing better or improve understanding of the voice, and other factors...

To date, no established protocol exists for measuring functional voice changes in singers with subclinical singing-voice complaints. Hence, these may go undiagnosed until they progress into greater severity. This exploratory study sought to (1) determine which scale items in the self-perceptual Evaluation of Ability to Sing Easily (EASE) are associated with instrumental voice measures, and (2) construct as proof-of-concept an instrumental index related to singers' perceptions of their vocal function and health status...

INTRODUCTION: Engaging service users or consumers in quality improvement or implementing a new service is important across settings and may reduce health inequities. Implementation strategies leveraging consumer engagement are neither commonly used nor robustly operationalized in implementation science. Implementers (e.g., middle managers, facilitators) want to involve consumers in implementation activities, but do not always feel confident in how to proceed. We developed a compendium of tools called Consumer Voice to guide others how to engage consumers in design/delivery of implementation strategies...

BACKGROUND: Vocal fold hemorrhage (VFH) is the rupture (usually acute) of a blood vessel within the true vocal fold. The long-term sequelae of VFH on the mucosal wave (MW) and glottic gap on video stroboscopy remain understudied. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the short-term and long-term consequences of VFH through measured and rated analysis of the mucosal wave and glottic gap. METHODS: The presence of VFH and its extent (limited/moderate vs...

Vocal cord nodules are benign laryngeal lesions seen in professional voice users. They are usually bilateral and are thought to occur due to submucosal edema and hemorrhage, with resultant fibrosis. False cord occurrences are very rare; hence we report a unique case of unilateral right false cord nodule. A healthy 16-year-old female student presented with persistent hoarseness for two years without any history of voice abuse, trauma, infection, or endotracheal intubation. Endoscopic examination showed a mass occupying the right false cord...