ORIGINAL PAPER
Screening value of V-RQOL in the evaluation of occupational voice disorders
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1
Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland (Audiology and Phoniatrics Clinic)
2
University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland (Department of Economic and Social Statistics)
Online publication date: 2017-12-28
Corresponding author
Joanna Morawska
Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Audiology and Phoniatrics Clinic,
św. Teresy 8, 91-348 Łódź, Poland
Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2018;69(2):119-28
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ABSTRACT
Background: Given the growing number of occupational voice users, easy and quick broad-scale screening is necessary to provide
prophylaxis of voice disorders. The aim of the study was to assess applicability of the Voice Related Quality of Life questionnaire
(V-RQOL) to screening occupational voice disorders. Material and Methods: The research comprised 284 subjects divided
into 3 groups: 0 – the control group of normophonic subjects, non-professional voice users (N = 60), 1 – occupational voice users
with objectively confirmed voice disorders (N = 124), 2 – the non-randomized group of occupational voice users with and without
voice problems (N = 100). Self-assessment of voice was performed by means of the V-RQOL in comparison to the Voice Handicap
Index (VHI). The relation between the V-RQOL and VHI was determined by means of linear regression. Receiver Operating
Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed and the cut-off point of the V-RQOL was determined to discriminate between
normophonic and dysphonic subjects. Results: The relationship between the VHI and V-RQOL scores indicated a satisfactory
coefficient of determination: R2 = 0.7266. High values of Cronbach’s α confirmed high reliability of the V-RQOL test (0.867).
Voice-Related Quality of Life questionnaire (V-RQOL) results were significantly worse in the study group than for normophonic
controls (p < 0.001). The cut-off point for the test was set at 79 points. The determined area under the curve (AUC) = 0.910
(p < 0.001) showed high diagnostic accuracy of the V-RQOL. Results of the V-RQOL differed for diagnose-based subgroups of
dysphonic patients. Conclusions: The study gives grounds for application of the V-RQOL as a reliable tool for screening occupational
voice disorders. Med Pr 2018;69(2):119–128