Effectiveness of Telepractice by Smartphone App Technology in Preventing Voice Problems

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 Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Prevention of Voice Disorders in Student Teachers
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Telepractice Global Voice Prevention Model; Behavioral: In-person Global Voice Prevention Model; Behavioral: Telepractice, Vocal Hygiene and Vocal Education

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 103
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, 19383
      • Elizabeth Grillo

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 56 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
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.	Behavioral: Telepractice Global Voice Prevention Model
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.	Behavioral: In-person Global Voice Prevention Model
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.	Behavioral: Telepractice, Vocal Hygiene and Vocal Education

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

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

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acoustic: fundamental frequency	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.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Acoustic: standard deviation of fundamental frequency	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.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Acoustic: jitter%	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.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Acoustic: shimmer%	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.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Acoustic: cepstral peak prominence	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.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Perceptual: Voice Handicap Index	Quality of life questions.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Perceptual: Vocal Fatigue Index	Vocal fatigue questions	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Perceptual: perceptions of voice	Perceptions of voice based on the Consensus-auditory Perceptual Evaluation of Voice.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Aerodynamic: sustained aaaaahhhhh	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.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.
Aerodynamic: s/z ratio	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.	AM (before teaching) and PM (after teaching) 5 days a week for up to 3 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 8, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 15, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): August 19, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 10, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 8, 2020
• Last Verified: September 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Laryngeal Diseases; Voice Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1R15DC014566-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)