Effectiveness of Telepractice by Smartphone App Technology in Preventing Voice Problems

Overview

Voice disorders in teachers have a significant impact on communication, quality of life, and economic costs to the healthcare system. We need to advance the prevention of voice disorders in teachers by testing an online telepractice model with synchronous (in real-time) and asynchronous (stored and accessed later) methods. The current study will investigate the effectiveness of the theoretically-driven Global Voice Prevention Model (GVPM) delivered by two methods; 1) online telepractice (synchronous and asynchronous) and 2) traditional, in-person for vocally healthy physical education and vocal music student teachers. Effectiveness of the model will be assessed by voice-related measures captured daily on a smartphone app during student teaching, matching the asynchronous aspects of the telepractice model and representing the effects of vocal loading from teaching.

Study Type

  • Study Type: Interventional
  • Study Design
    • Allocation: Non-Randomized
    • Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
    • Primary Purpose: Prevention
    • Masking: None (Open Label)
  • Study Primary Completion Date: June 1, 2020

Interventions

  • Behavioral: Telepractice Global Voice Prevention Model
  • Behavioral: In-person Global Voice Prevention Model
  • Behavioral: Telepractice, Vocal Hygiene and Vocal Education

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • Experimental: Behavioral: Telepractice Global Voice Prevention Model
    • Participants will complete the Global Voice Prevention Model (GVPM) through West Chester University’s Desire 2 Learn (D2L) software program. Synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities are provided through D2L over a four week period. The GVPM includes vocal hygiene, vocal education, and vocal training.
  • Experimental: Behavioral: In-person Global Voice Prevention Model
    • Participants will complete the Global Voice Prevention Model (GVPM) at West Chester University in-person. The GVPM will meet for 2 hours once a week for four weeks. The GVPM includes vocal hygiene, vocal education, and vocal training.
  • Sham Comparator: Behavioral: Telepractice, Vocal Hygiene and Vocal Education
    • Participants will complete Vocal Hygiene and Vocal Education through West Chester University’s Desire 2 Learn (D2L) software program. Asynchronous learning opportunities are provided through D2L over a one week period.

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • Presence and frequency of a voice problem
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Question will be asked twice a day before and after teaching.

Secondary Measures

  • Acoustic: fundamental frequency
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Participants will record sustained aaaahhh, we were away a year ago, and describe their voice for 15 seconds twice a day before and after teaching.
  • Acoustic: standard deviation of fundamental frequency
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Participants will record sustained aaaahhh, we were away a year ago, and describe their voice for 15 seconds twice a day before and after teaching.
  • Acoustic: jitter%
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Participants will record sustained aaaahhh, we were away a year ago, and describe their voice for 15 seconds twice a day before and after teaching.
  • Acoustic: shimmer%
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Participants will record sustained aaaahhh, we were away a year ago, and describe their voice for 15 seconds twice a day before and after teaching.
  • Acoustic: cepstral peak prominence
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Participants will record sustained aaaahhh, we were away a year ago, and describe their voice for 15 seconds twice a day before and after teaching.
  • Perceptual: Voice Handicap Index
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Quality of life questions.
  • Perceptual: Vocal Fatigue Index
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Vocal fatigue questions
  • Perceptual: perceptions of voice
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Perceptions of voice based on the Consensus-auditory Perceptual Evaluation of Voice.
  • Aerodynamic: sustained aaaaahhhhh
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Participants will say aaaaahhhh as long as they can to determine how well they are managing airflow with phonation twice a day before and after teaching.
  • Aerodynamic: s/z ratio
    • Time Frame: AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
    • Participants will say s and z as long as they can to determine how well they are managing airflow with phonation twice a day before and after teaching.

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • senior at West Chester University as of fall 2016 and fall 2017, – student teaching during spring 2017 or 2018, – healthy voice user, – owns a smartphone Exclusion Criteria:

-

Gender Eligibility: All

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Maximum Age: 60 Years

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • West Chester University of Pennsylvania
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Grillo, Associate Professor – West Chester University of Pennsylvania

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