Investigation of Interdisciplinary Differences in Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Disorders.

Abstract

Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) physicians, speech and language pathologists (SLPs), and singing instructors play complementary roles in the assessment and remediation of voice disorders in performing artists. Given that there are differences among these groups in the training they receive, and that there may be further differences due to their occupational settings and goals, it is unknown whether and to what extent these different disciplines diverge in their perceptions and evaluations of voice quality. Against this background, the present study compared perceptual evaluation of pathological voice by these voice-related disciplines. Using the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) scale, five ENT physicians, five SLPs, and five singing instructors evaluated voice samples recorded from 10 people with pathological voice. The participant groups' scores for each CAPE-V parameter were compared. It was found that the ENT physicians and SLPs were similar in their evaluations, whereas the singing instructors gave higher scores than the ENT physicians and SLPs on several CAPE-V parameters, suggesting that the singing instructors tended to rate the patients' voice quality as more severe on average than ENT physicians and SLPs. These findings highlight the similarities between ENT physicians and SLPs in their perceptual evaluations of pathological voice and suggest that singing instructors may show a more sensitive and heightened perceptual response to pathological voice than the other professional groups, possibly due to differences in occupational experiences and expectations among these voice-related disciplines.